English Noses Ahead

The Red Queen Strikes

Labour's new leader, Jacinda Ardern, has caught up to National's leader John English in a recent preferred New Zealand Prime Minister poll and has very likely overtaken him by now. Like Canada, there seems to be a generational shift taking place in NZ politics. Peter Dunne has seen the writing on the wall and after 30 plus years in Parliament (often as a Minister), he has retired.

Weasel Words And Bear Essentials

Harry Hack is back in action investigating the policies of the two front runners in the election this year in Whangarei NZ -  Shane Reti (National) and Shane Jones (NZ First). Shane Reti is fan of the $16 million Hundertwasser inspired Art Gallery and secured sufficient millions of dollars of Government money to get it over the shortfall in funding. Shane Jones on the other hand likes the idea of putting a rail link to Marsden Point where there is a deep water port.

Gareth Morgan Goes Potty

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws - aka NORML - now backs Gareth Morgan's 'Opportunities Party'. They used to contest each election on their own and now that Gareth's party has much the same policy, Norml leaders are asking their supporters to vote for Gareth and his followers. 

Shopping In A Spiritual and Cultural Decline

Here is another cartoon I did a few years ago and it seems the urge to go shopping has crept like a virus into the collective mind of New Zealand's National Government. This year, local authorities can now allow shops to open during Easter and so end another few days when shop assistants can look forward to a break from the relentless pressure to working seven days a week on some of the lowest wages in the New Zealand economy. When shops open it forces a lot of other service workers to do the same and so eventually further degrade the quality of life for thousands of New Zealanders.

They will also lose out spiritually as well. New Zealand's society has been based on Christian traditions from the first days of the missionaries arriving to our shores and I think we are all the better off for them. They connect us with an ancient set of ethical guidelines that have played a crucial part in shaping the civilised society we live in. The holy days are times for spiritual renewal along with time to relax to recharge and even though I am not a Christian, I know the value how lucky we are to have them. For instance, it is so nice to watch TV without the crass advertising disrupting favourite programmes and see families getting together for time out from work and school.

I think liberalising trading laws in this way is a retrograde step and I hope the Opposition Parties will  reinstate the sanctity of Easter and Christmas etc if they get into power this year. Alas I suspect they are probably infected too with the soul-less worship of consumerism - where the real price will be the re-creation of an underclass of deprived workers and neglected children - and grumpy cartoonists.

Little Ardern About Being An Odd Couple

My main computer is playing up so I did this with a pen dipped in Indian Ink and then painted it with watercolour, and took a photo with my iPhone to send onto the Internet. Harry Hack will track the Election in his time honoured way using shorthand and his faithful old digital camera.

'Hack' Investigates

It is election year and Harry Hack is going to be on the job checking out the polimals going crackers.

Moggy Crabapple

This is my version of an illustration by Molly Crabtree, a New York artist who wrote a biographical book called "Drawing Blood". Google her name and check out her website, it is well worth a visit.

Wot Word

Idea for newspapers - like the game Pictionary

 Can you guess the word?