Speak No Dribble, Hear No Dribble!



I refer you to an insightful piece by the brilliant News Limited columnist, Piers Akerman.

I was relieved to read this because I was starting to think that I was the only one who noticed the massive gap in crisis leadership skills that has been displayed in the last few days between Queensland's Premier, Anna Bligh and the PM, Julia Gillard. Fortunately Piers and a few other brilliant members of the commentariat (independent Talk Back presenters I mean) have also commented today on this glaring personality flaw displayed by our PM.

I am not a fan of Bligh or her Government, in fact it is likely that she we receive the same voter "get out of town" card at her next election as most certainly the New South Wales ALP government will also receive. BUT, during this tough time for this proud Queensland woman, we have seen her provide just the sort of leadership that you would expect from a PM.

Constant updates, in the middle of the fight always and showing a real and human side of her nature whilst co-ordinating a brilliant recovery plan. Only the opposite can be said for PM Gillard.

At best this was just another photo opportunity and her media tone and poor commitment to charity at home was enough to make this little cynical black duck wince. Wayne Swan, Peter Garret, Penny Wong and Bob Brown especially are as usual missing in action and not available for comment. "Still handing out the NO DAMS stickers Bob?"

I do think that the PM deliberately stood back from the issue so as to give Premier Bligh the chance to lift her personal poll ratings (and it will) and as far as the Labor Party line is concerned I can see why she would do that -- but still this would have been a great opportunity for her also to lift her approval figures.

Alas it appears that Miss Gillard has not learnt the lesson that former PM Rudd had to learn and that is to never take the Australian people for granted or for mugs.

Laughing in the face of Death



The Queensland floods: I am not making fun of this tragedy, let's get that straight. This natural disaster is a major concern for all Australians and any of us who are not directly effected by these floods should get down on our knees and thank the Lord above for such mercy as well as pray for those affected. Whether it is this terrible event in Queensland and Northern New South Wales or the Victorian Bush Fires or Cyclone Tracey or any one of the many, many ways that nature has shown us just how small we really are and remind us that we can not control the weather or prevent such fury from being unleashed on the land, we will prevail in the end.

After saying that and feeling most humble I am will now pump out my chest and state that in all of the above mentioned human disasters there has always been one thing that mother nature can not take from us, no matter how hard she tries and that is our spirit of human survival: That in-built human desire to overcome adversity and to help our fellow man and woman and child to find their feet again and get back to the job of living.

One way that Aussies do that very well is via their sense of humour. Be it war or acts of God, our ability to laugh in the face of a fight has always been a huge part of out human soul and the Australian psyche and that is what makes us different from all other living beings on this great planet.

We can ague until the cows come home about how many political leaders throughout our short history have neglected to look far enough into the future to prevent this regular event in Queensland from touching so many lives and we can hope that just maybe this time one of them will be motivated enough to put into place infrastructural designs that will protect human lives and property in the future? but until then we do what we do best, we survive and just get on with living.

Happy Same OLD NEW Year



Now far be it for me to be lazy, because I am not! I really love my craft, I love to draw and I was thinking for a while today what I would draw (say) to mark the end of this year and to see the new one in.

I am a complete optimist and I will always hope and believe that the next day will be a better one than the last. I, like most people, believe that one learns from their mistakes and that this simple wisdom will go a long way to improving the future for us all.

I thought to myself, "what did I say on last years NYE toon?". I checked and as I read the cartoon I realised that this is virtually the same cartoon that I was going to draw this year. All of the issues that plagued our society back in 2009 are still there!.

Therefore I think that the most relevant lesson to be learnt this year is we understand that we do have short memories and if we do not remember the mistakes of the past then we can be assured that those mistakes will still be repeated year after year after year.


Thank God we here is New South Wales will not be repeating the mistake that we made back in March 2007 and as a result we will see a return to a conservative and fiscally sensible governance in this state (I hope so anyway, tic).

Also, that if we are given the chance later in the new year, we may be able to remove the dangerous ALP/Greens Federal coalition, anything that should have happened a few months ago.

So dear reader, Happy 2011 to us all, I hope the year ahead will bring prosperity, happiness, good health and wealth (in whatever form that wealth comes to you) and that we will never forget that the mistakes of the past and never be forced to repeat them due to our LAZINESS!!!

The Real Grinch of Christmas



Well, hasn't this been an interesting year as far as the local and national political scene was concerned. I guess you can say that "the beat goes on" and no matter who is banging the drum they are still out of rhythm and not playing our tune.... generally speaking of course.

Political cartoonists like myself have had a gift all year, with a plethora of fools and bad policy to lampoon. I am sure nothing will change next year but still I am looking forward to the show and to making my satirical comments stick and amuse.

Here's to you all having a very safe, happy and holy Christmas and a prosperous 2011. Godspeed and thanks for your support in 2010.

It's a matter of FREEDOM OF SPEECH, that's all



I must admit that when I first heard of this man, Julian Assange and his WikiLeaks website, I thought here we go another anti establishment lefty who has nothing better to do than to hack into government websites and realise confidential military information that will soon be in the hands of the enemy.

I guess it is true that some of the information that has been released has caused genuine concern relating to the safety of some individuals who are or were involved in activities that they would be better placed to remain anonymous....... or so that is what the US Government told us all!

I guess that is the main sticking point for me but after that I can gladly join in with the chorus of millions of people throughout the world who value our very freedom of speech, as I certainly do, and say that this man should be set free and made a hero of the public for having the guts to expose diplomatic cables and other so called confidential papers that clearly point to corruption and deception by leaders, ministers and diplomats globally.

Incidents ranging from involvement in corporate/government rorts to war crimes.

The fact that several government leaders have condemned the man so quickly and many have called for his immediate imprisonment for just exposing the truth, would have you think that the entire first world has become a huge Stalinist state...........

Hmmmmmm, looks like the Fabians really did get want they wanted for Christmas, ONE WORLD SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT!

If Assange was nothing more than a journalist, doing his job to expose corruption and deceit then why would a government either the US or UK or Sweden and even Australia be so quick to condemn him and cook up some charge of sexual assault as a way to get him behind bars.

I guess the truth is just a little toooo scary for many first world government leaders to cope with and the solution to their fear is to shut down the voice of dissent and freedom. Sorry I am with Assange now because I will not stand by and watch as a man (regardless of his ideology) is made a pariah and political prisoner. It certainly doesn't change my support because he is also an Australian either.

Sorry Oprah, there is someone a little more important than you, so off the front page now. Let's hope that the granting of bail will lead to an acquittal from any crime and this Aussie doesn't become a political prisoner in any country. This story is far from over.

Our Greatest National Pastime‏



You have to admit it that our greatest Aussie pastime these days is the good old game of Bank Bashing. Do they deserve it? Maybe or maybe not, but my favourite pastime is and will always be Pollie bashing because I can see the Federal Opposition taking great strides to gain political mileage from this greedy rate rise and certainly Wayne Swan, the worst Federal Treasurer by far in my opinion, loves the attention that the "Big Banks" are getting and the redirection of public anger that should still be focused at a Government that has put this country in a huge fiscal black hole that will take a generation to fill in.

See:

Banks

Deficit

THE BIG CONCERNS‏



I have decided to take some advice and take a new direction regarding my random social comments and observations in writing.
I am a cartoonist, not a journalist and although both professions have very close ties in making social commentary, literally speaking they are worlds apart.

I have had several people comment that my writing was good and informative, also valid at times and I have had just the opposite response also.

The truth is that I do work too hard and sometimes sigh when I have drawn a cartoon and then know that I need to write about it. I just do not enjoy writing about what I have just drawn and really see no need to continue doing this.

Basically, life is to short and one must always focus on what they do best and enjoy best, if they are ever to excel and that is why I will no longer be offering a few paragraphs of my opinion on a subject but rather just let the cartoon tell the story.

I will assist my loyal followers by adding a news report link so as to assist any one out there who has just been to busy to know exactly what the cartoon is referring too ....... and really that is most of us these days......

Big Banks

Hillary Clinton Down Under