on January 22, 2014
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© Matthew_Buck Hack Cartoons for http://tribunecartoons.com
Estimates of economic growth in the UK have been upgraded by the International Monetary Fund but isn’t clear that the kind of growth we are told to expect is good for us.
Also at home, it is suggested that ‘energy drinks’ are banned in school because of the bad behaviour and ill-health they can cause among the pupils.
The ‘energy’ drinks in the cartoon metaphor are Quantitative Easing, private debt and disguised public subsidy to the commercial property industry – the chancellor’s Help to Buy scheme. All provide a short-term fix of ‘energy’ which must be handy if there’s an election coming up, but in the long-term they also make us ill and fat.
on January 20, 2014
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© Matthew Buck Hack Cartoons for Waitrose Weekend
A fun commission about the public perception of Haggis. It’s a small Scottish animal, yes?
on January 18, 2014
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© Matthew Buck Hack Cartoons and Multimedia
One of the more famous libel litigants of the recent past has died.
Lord Alistair McAlpine famously sued Sally Bercow, wife of the current speaker of the House of Commons, for libel following a tweet she made about him amid allegations of his collusion in covering up a long-running series of stories in paedophilia at a number of children’s homes in North Wales. This followed broadcast of allegations on BBC Newsnight in 2012.
Ten thousand or more other people who made similar allegations across social media services were not prosecuted.
Beyond the details of death, a bigger issue here is the spread of global communication tools and which mean legal jurisdictions are no longer as easily enforceable as they once were (see the cartoon).
In another example of this phenomenon, The Wall Street Journal newspaper in America has just won a legal case allowing it to report details of the long-running #hackingtrial about the activities of the former News International businesses (now News UK).
This means they will now be able to report detail that cannot legally be reported or repeated in the United Kingdom.
on January 17, 2014
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© Matthew Buck Hack Cartoons
Speedy sketchbook drawing of guests on the long running political discussion show. Some more successful than others.
on January 16, 2014
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© Matthew Buck HackCartoons
A long running embarrassment to Liberal Democratic party has flared up again following publication of a report into allegations of sexual harrassment made against the former Chief Executive of the party, Chris Rennard.
Despite the ‘broadly credible’ allegations of sexual harassment recorded in the report which were made by several female would-be Lib Dem parliamentary candidates, party leader and deputy prime Minister Nick Clegg seems unable or unwilling to do anything.
If there’s much more of this, the story might start feeling like the broken promise on student tuition fees from the start of this coalition parliament.
As this pithy television interview makes clear, perhaps Clegg needs to ‘man up’ a bit. Mind, after you’ve read this, you’ll understand why politics is always a filthy business.
Updated: 21st August 2014. The suspension of Lord Rennard from the party has been lifted although the issues, the specific incidents and their legacy will linger.
There has been a lot of valid criticism of the very hight bar of criminal proof applied to the internal party investigations conducted by Alastair Webster QC.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the ‘broadly credible’ victims have left a life in politics, leading, I speculate, many more bright, articulate and potentially useful people with them.
Screenshot of Bridget Harris speaking about the Rennard issue.
There is a good round up by James Kirkup of The Telegraph here if you would like to take a larger view of this long running mess.
on January 15, 2014
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© Matthew Buck Hack Cartoons for The Independent
Here comes 2014 according to Martin Wolf in The Financial Times. The article is worth registering for at the website of the news organisation.
on January 14, 2014
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© Matthew Buck Hack Cartoons for Hampshire Chronicle.co.uk
The new bridge for Winchester railway station is due to open. This is a cartoon that did not make the print edition.
Commuter report from @mpntod
on January 8, 2014
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© Matthew Buck Hack Cartoons for tribunecartoons.com
Celebrity Russell Brand made an ear-catching contribution to the national conversation during the autumn when he urged young people not to vote because the political system no longer represented their interests. You can read his words here.
Apathy is a rational reaction to a system that no longer represents, hears or addresses the vast majority of people.
He might be right about that but if young people don’t vote, the one certainty is that the OAPs votes will rule. Hence, the cartoon.
on January 6, 2014
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Tobias Grubbe in the storm © Matthew Buck at Hack Cartoons
A new story at this place.
on January 3, 2014
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The annual ritual of undisclosed conversations from thirty years ago is underway. To someone of my generation, this recalls the miner’s strike and notions of the so-called ‘enemy within’. The link to a report by Alan Travis, Home Editor at the Guardian. The coverage at the FT also makes a generous offer to any other with specific interest in the period. Paul Mason and crew deliver an audio-visual report here on Channel 4 News.
The cartoon draws a parallel with our own contemporary militant tendency.
