The Art Of Politics — Utterly March Madness

The Art of Politics, presenting the best of the month’s political cartooning – skewering the political incompetents, the corrupt, the ridiculous, and the tragic…

 

USA USA USA…

Again and again and again and again and again and again and again…

Another month passes by and the numbers of both mass shootings (130 so far in 2023 – gun violence archive) and school shootings (13 so far in 2023 – EdWeek) continues to rise in the USA. Perhaps the most high profile this month was yet another elementary/primary school shooting where three teachers and three nine-year-old children were shot dead at a Nashville school by an intruder with two AR-15 assault weapons and a handgun. (NPR)

You can talk all you like about the 2nd Amendment, about mental health, about freedom … but at some point, possibly only when the children who are victims of the violence become politicians themselves, America might have to realise that yes — it is the guns and no — not everywhere has this problem.

Until then, while the Republicans, so desperate to protect children/foetuses up until birth, walk hand in hand with the NRA, America has made its decision … protecting guns is more important that protecting children.

Matt Davies again…

Bill Bramhall – 

David Rowe – 

JD Crowe – 

Christopher Weyant –

Mike Luckovich – 

Pedro X Molina – 

Nick Anderson – 

Mike Luckovich – 

 

The State of the Nation — and what a state…

Let’s start a round-up of what’s happening in the USA with a couple from Cathy Wilcox and Ann Telnaes that look at the news that a Florida school principal was forced to resign after parents of sixth-grade pupils (around 11 year olds) complained that they’d been exposed to pornography. Or rather they’d not been notified that their pupils might encounter something ‘potentially controversial.‘

And what was the pornography that at least one parent complained about. That would be Michaelangelo’s David, one of the Renaissance’s most famous pieces of art. Oh yes, America, where guns and violence are to be protected but nudity … hell no. (Guardian)

Cathy Wilcox – 

Ann Telnaes – 

 

After that, time for a quick zip around other things happening. We have books being challenged and banned for ‘controversial content’, with a lot of it being led by conservative and Republican parents and pressure groups targeting anything that they don’t like — including anything LGBTQ+ and anything pointing out America’s history isn’t without some difficult areas.

Similarly, we’ve had bans on the discussion in schools of critical race theory and similar topics — because conservative America doesn’t think that they should be told that the USA is anything other than ‘star-spangled awesome’ (to borrow from this piece of brilliance from the Newsroom.)

And then, in a movement that’s snowballed during the month, there’s an attack on drag performances. Because that’s the main issue that needs sorting out. Oh for God’s sake America.

Kal –

Ann Telnaes — on the ongoing Republican desire to take us back, back, back to a time when women did just what their lords and masters told them to do…

Ann Telnaes once more — this time on the Republicans, who care SO much about children, as they’ll scream at you every time they can, loosen child labour laws…

 

Where Florida leads, pray America won’t follow. (Or, welcome to Desantisland.)

Ron DeSantis, Republican Governor of Florida, still hasn’t thrown his hat into the ring for the Republican nomination for President in 2024. But that hasn’t stopped him from making Florida a beacon of American values/a nightmarish vision of ultra-conservative rule* (*delete depending on your political affiliation).

Ann Telnaes – 

Matt Wuerker – 

 

 

Not arrested … yet.  The adventures of an ex-President.

Of course, even if/when DeSantis does run for Republican nomination, he will have a certain orange ex-President to deal with — or maybe he won’t, not if any of the many pending legal actions against him actually manage to get him indicted and jailed — which is, frankly, a long shot.

This month we had the left-leaning media salivating over the prospect of Donald Trump being hailed up before a Judge in one of the many states where there’s legal challenges going though.

And then, just at the very end of the year we had the news through that the first indictment had been filed and it’s all to do with the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels. At this point, it’s not clear what charges Trump may face in the New York courts — but he definitely will be facing charges in a criminal court, making him the first former US President to be indicted on charges.

Morten Morland on both ex-Prime Minister Boris (Britain’s liar-in-chief) and ex-President Trump (still not arrested)…

Ann Telnaes – Trump’s legal baggage…

Kal – 

Bill Bramhall – 

And Bill Bramhall again –

Tim Campbell – 

Mike Peters – 

Dave Chappatte – 

 

Bill Bramhall –

Ann Telnaes – 

PX Molina – 

Christopher Weyant –

 

MEANWHILE IN GREAT BRITAIN…

Immigrants not welcome…

Richy Rich Sunak promised to end the small boats crossing the English Channel and he and Suella Braverman introduced the illegal migration bill this month. Amongst other things, it promises to remove asylum seekers coming to the UK. It was a policy that walked all over international law on refugees and made little practical sense. But that doesn’t matter to this lot, they just want the nice slogans and watch the right-wingers of the electorate fall for the lies. (Vox)

And as an aside, Suella somehow manages to make previous Home Secretary, Priti Patel, look like a lovely, sweet lady. But then again, put Suella next to Cruella de Vil and suddenly Cruella looks pretty harmless.

Ella Baron – 

Joe Lawrence – 

Steve Bell – 

Morten Morland – 

Martin Rowson – 

Chris Riddell – 

Peter Brookes – 

And connected to this new migration/immigration bill…

 

The Honourable Gary Lineker, Leader of the Opposition?

Gary Lineker, former English soccer player and now presenter of Match of the Day and other prestigious sports things on the BBC made a comment on Twitter saying that the language of the new migration bill was ‘not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.‘

Many people figured yes, fair enough, he’s right there. Conservative MPs, right-wing media outlets, and the people in charge at the BBC collectively lost their shit over it because they have impartiality rules in place for presenters of the news — which obviously Lineker isn’t.

Within a few days, the BBC had suspended Lineker and sports coverage, especially soccer coverage, ground to a near halt as Lineker’s colleagues, including Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, as well as other commentators, pundits, and staff refused to present or work on their shows. It all led to what was a rather tawdry and embarrassing few days for the BBC before Lineker and everyone else came back to work with the BBC promising a review of their impartiality and social media rules. (BBC)

Morten Morland –

Dave Brown –  

Peter Brookes – 

Martin Rowson –

Ben Jennings – 

 

BOZZA’S BACK…

Boris was up before the House of Commons inquiry about his Partygate farrago and told them that he would ‘never have dreamed‘ of misleading the House of Commons over all of those Downing Street parties during lockdown.

Up and down the country, people looked at their TV screens and thought the same thing… ‘what a complete load of utter bullshit.’ Or alternatively, as Peter Schrank points out, perhaps it was bearshit…

Peter Schrank – 

Ben Jennings – 

Steve Bell – 

Morten Morland on the Boris show…

Dave Brown – 

 

LE PENSION ET LE RIOT – FRANCE EXPLODES…

Riots around proposed pension age changes that are being forced through the French parliament by President Macron left many cities in France in flames. Poor timing as well, if they’d have waited a week or so, we have seen the interesting sight of Britain’s King and the President watching the flames get closer. As it was, King Charles cancelled the Royal visit to France to avoid the troubles… (NYT)

Peter Schrank – 

And Peter Schrank again, with a cartoon from 2010 that’s very apt…

Morten Morland – 

 

 

UKRAINE

Yes, it continues … of course it continues. Sadly, you just cannot see an end to it at this point. The war will keep killing people, both combatants and non-combatants, and Putin will continue to lie to his own people about it all…

Ben Jennings – 

Patrick Blower – 

Kal – 

Peter Brookes wondering where Putin will go next…

Matt Davies – 

Ann Telnaes — on the news that Putin’s propaganda war at home is an all-ages policy, after a 13-year-old Russian girl is sent to an orphanage and her father placed under house arrest after she drew an antiwar picture in her art class at school.