CARNA Dons!

Glowing endorsements of Trump's policy announcements flowing from the likes of Julie Bishop and Peter Dutton... who, of course are speaking from under their Australian ministerial hats (thus as representatives of this electorate... not the U.S. polity).

Well, for openers ...you don't reflect MY reaction to POTUS Trump and his whacko ideas, nor I dare say, the views of millions of other Australians. If you must slaver over neo-fascist ideas in public, by all means do so... BUT only after clearly stating they are your personal feelings and not necessarily those of the Australian electorate whom you are supposed to represent.

That is, until both of you test those ideas at the next Australian federal election (if you are willing to seek re-endorsement of your continued parliamentary membership based on those ideas) and NOT hide behind the small 'L' liberal platform on which your current status rests!

Donny can write!?

OK... I suppose TV reporting of D.T. POTUS issuing presidential orders like confetti at a wedding is meant to emphasise the importance of that function to the 'new broom' approach of the 'Donald'?  One at least has already been 'rolled' by the supreme court and doubtless it will be followed by more of these 'grand-standing' efforts to circumvent the constitution in the interest of demonstrating to his supporters that Mr, Trump is a 'doer'.

So far, it does nothing for me but to illustrate that the president evidently can WRITE! That's a small step for mankind generally... but a giant leap forward for Trump credibility in particular.

Little Bird...

Is PM M.T. a social media freak like other so-called world leaders?

Rock dwellers?

Good ol' Barnaby... he knows a potential 'rock-dweller' when he sees one.

Strangely, I'm on the cusp of 82 y.o.a. as a third generation Australian and I have never been able to identify with January 26th as a day of importance to be celebrated by all Australians.

If Mr. Joyce shrinks from shouldering the blame for the actions of British colonizers in stealing country from people who had occupied this land-mass for perhaps in excess of 60000 years before the European prison fleet arrived... then that is HIS problem and not mine nor those detractors whom he has said should be living 'under a rock'.

In my humble opinion, if Mr. Joyce and his ilk think that Britain duck-shoving their overloaded prison population to a wilderness half-way around the world in the late 18th century was an act of honour and nation-building... then he is letting us all know how un-fitted he is to be posing as a peoples' representative in a democratic parliament of the early 21st century.

Tee Pee Pee?

New Great White Father Trump would probably attract a name like Walking Buffalo Chip if Native Americans still bother with endowing such appellations upon their historic oppressors.

Busily making new enemies abroad through issuing edicts arbitrarily scrapping international agreements like the TPP etc. would kinda justify the title envisaged above. Pissing on those outside the Trump tent may seem the thing to do until the new putsch and its supporters realise that the groups they are placing in the 'THEM' camp might quickly become an opposition 'US' when formulating reactions to this new American isolationism???

The sinking of the TPP

Slash and burn... day2.

Trump Day 1.

Slash and burn ... always first up in the program of far rightist political high office incumbency.

Someone in the past must've written a book of instructions... ala Mein Kampf? I wouldn't know, as I only read comic books when I was a child and Hitler was a budding writer!

Were there any pictures in Adolf's tome... that would've helped.

To a 'T'

Now the Trump Presidency is installed... other world leaders will just have to adapt to whatever the new regime springs on them.

Not easy and even more difficult to deal with if you have multiple unresolved difficulties piled up awaiting attention in your own home paddock.

Crumbles?

Another cop-out I'm afraid. This cartoon first appeared in my original blog on January 21st 2013.

Its caricature of an oft-used cliche' seems oddly applicable to the fears held by millions of people  who have today witnessed the inauguration of a U.S. President who seems to be a 'loose cannon'  (oops...another verbal cliche') in almost everything he has said and done in the lead-up to this day.

This apparent aberration on the part of a once sensible U.S. electorate will now have them and the majority of everyone else in the 'free' world walking on 'egg-shells' until the nature of Trump's regime becomes a reality, rather than a vague fear.

Personally, I don't think there was anything 'funny-ha-ha'  (or L.O.L.) about today's proceedings in Washington.

Retros 2

This is unashamedly a 'filler' to carry me through the 20th of January tragedy in Melbourne's CBD... when 4 innocent souls were obliterated by a monstrous animal whose ticket to exist within a normal society of human beings should be cancelled once and for all.

Instead, here is a re-run of a cartoon comment on the severity of floods which were inundating much of Queensland during the first month of 2011 when my cartoon blog was being hosted by a site in Brisbane. Enough of a disaster to dissuade possible visitors from a place far, far away?

Bye Bye Bairdy

'Magic' Mike Baird has suddenly resigned in mid-term as premier of New South Wales. Whilst he cites family health as the main driver of his need to step down... there will be those who think Mike was happy enough when riding high in the polls... but now that his support has melted somewhat, he is simply 'getting out' while the going is good?

Doctor Hunt

The new minister for Health and Sport Greg Hunt says his main aim in the new role will be to get doctors back on side with the government.

Better work like greased lightning Greg lest you fall victim to the same problem which led to your being 're-shuffled' in the first place?

Ol' King Coal?...

... or just the fool on the hill?

Suddenly, P.M. M.T. is a champion of coal as the mainstay of Australia's present and future.

Lurks n Perks?

Why rorting of entitlements by honourable members of parliament will be difficult to eradicate?

and yet more travel rorts?

Latest minister to come under scrutiny is none other than Finance Minister Cormann whose family weekend jaunts to Broome have cost tax-payers a bundle. I thought his main role in government was to FIND money to ease the so-called 'budget crisis'... not spend it with apparent gay abandon on satisfying his own family needs.

Someone should take a broom(e) to him?

Dogged?

P.M. M.T. says clear and unambiguous rules governing personal expenses incurred by MPs in the course of their 'duties' will be promulgated 'soon' and an independent 'watchdog' will established to ensure that the rules are properly adhered to in future.

Key word is possibly 'soon'... since a number of associated 'rules' were apparently put forward by the Abbott government 3 or more years ago for consideration, but have never seen the light of day since.

Black Friday Blues

Spent most of Friday the 13th. pruning overgrown trees and shrubs around the hacienda. Finished       (exhausted) at dusk and, after skipping dinner I sat down to the normally relaxing task of posting a cartoon blog post. Whereupon I soon fell asleep and woke an hour or so later with a completely blank mind.
Thus, the accompanying 'toon is a send-up of my own frailty.

Where's Malcolm?

With the Christmas holiday season well over, scandals seemingly developing with every hour that passes and presumably routine legislation piling up... has anyone seen or heard from our P.M. Mr. M.T.?

Over the past few clear nights the moon has appeared as a wan blob with greyed indistinct features almost impossible to recognise. Could be the features of our be-leaguered leader... but, I digress.

The Cookie Jar again

Does anyone know how and when a sense of entitlement over-ran decency among many of our so-called parliamentary representatives? Snouts in troughs hardly comes close to satirising the apparent extent of politicians' desire to milk the system for every unguarded taxpayer dollar they can get their sweaty hands on when nobody is looking?

The WHITE Planet?

The BLUE Planet is rapidly becoming WHITE as a giant 'freeze' engulfs Europe and much of the whole Northern hemisphere.

If manufactured 'ICE' doesn't get ya... perhaps the natural cold stuff will anyway?

Goin' North?

This is another catch-up blog meant for Sunday, January 8th., when 'Shark Week' in the south east came to an end in my mind... the only place where it existed for a week as a figment of my childish imagination.

Quite recently oceanic scientists had noted that squadrons of large sharks seemed to be moving south in pursuit of a tropical fish migration attracted by now warmer waters around the south-east corner of our Australian continent. As this trend looked like co-inciding with several annual beach-themed celebrations  (which normally entice masses of people into water frolics) ... my twisted mind conjured up those fun festivals as being like smorgasbord nosh for hungry sharkdom. Indeed, two of the notable gatherings were on the cusp of being postponed due to ominous sightings of large sharks cruising in near vicinity of the event locales. However, intervention by surface and airborne shark watching personal and equipment allowed both of the major events to proceed without the potential predators getting even a sniff of human or animal nourishment.

The toothy finned foragers then appeared in Port Phillip Bay bent on feeding off the likes of Melbourne suburban beaches which are generally packed with prey seeking relief from the heat at this time of year. Slim pickings again I'm afraid. Less than a week ago, a massive storm broke over urban Melbourne dumping record 'gully-washer' down-pours over a wide range of the greater city. The resultant mass transfer of almost every pollutant known to urban man-kind (but predominantly dog droppings) from storm-water drains in

to the bay necessitated closure of almost every beach towards the end of the week... so, otherwise shark-bait humans were warned away from the water for other reasons.

Let's hope the Sharks have learned the lesson that there are no free meals to be had in this neck of the woods... so, they'd best go back north where they are used to the cuisine on offer year-round?

FIFO Home buyer?

I had a 'light-bulb' moment says Minister for Health Sussan Ley when queried about 'impulse' purchase of a + or - $800,000 apartment whilst travelling at tax-payer expense on alleged government business.

As I've written elsewhere, aren't we all lucky that Ms Ley's impulse buying didn't lead to us footing the bill for a bloody helicopter as favoured by 'gone but hardly missed' former speaker 'Bronwyn the elder'?!

Shark Baits?

This 'rough' was put together 2 days ago but not posted due largely to the extra-ordinary heat wave we have been enduring over the past week. Too hot to work outside and, lately the same applies to indoors as a consequence of age and weariness I guess. Sweating on top of sheets etc. when you should be recharging strength thru' rest, isn't helpful either.

However, around mid-day an unexpected southerly cool breeze has stirred some movement, so I'm trying to put some score on the board while we're kicking with the wind, as it were.

Centre-link debt collection?

Centre-link is even-handed if nothing else. They have taken to collecting debt from a wide slab of their clientele wether they owe anything or not.

Of course, the powers that be will doubtless blame this cock-up on their computer system much as their non-Census brethren have done before them. My question would be '

did this kind of stupidity occur when all of Centre-links' functions were carried out by real people???!

Out of his depth.

Storms and flooding rains have produced this kind of outcome all too often lately. Still, there are people who seem totally oblivious to the gravity of their situation when at the mercy of treacherous and unpredictable water torrents. People alone hardly ever come out on top.

Testing Times

Suitability testing. I'm all for it... provided there is also a test for the 'testers'.

TORY Island?

Rumblings on the extreme right of the Liberal and National coalition parties? With Tony Abbott anxiously urging far right members of the government NOT to even think about breaking away to form a separate Conservative (eg. Tory) party to better reflect the politics of their supposed constituency, it is clear that such a schism in government ranks in current circumstances would likely hand power to the opposition at any resultant election(?)

Whatever happens, it is in the interests of electors that people standing for parliament not immerse  themselves within generally moderate parties when in fact they harbour extremist views not generally associated publicly with the aims of the party concerned.

 

NY Resolutions

Only one decision of possible moderate interest to our loyal reader.

Because of deteriorating eye-sight, I have decided to limit my 'drawing direct to computer' method of processing cartoon ideas. For the immediate future I will be reverting to the old method of pen on paper with resulting images/text once again being scanned into a computer for colour addition (where necessary) and clean-up for publication output.

Hopefully, reduced time spent glaring at a screen will benefit tired old peepers. At the same time. I am reverting to a scratchier style of drawing which I had used to good effect c2000 to 2005. It was quicker ... and, I now fancy... much simpler and less overdrawn in appearance than my more recent work. Today's cartoon is a sample of a some un-published scribbles dealing with AFL footy.