The focus of the latest issue of New Internationalist is Youth. The cover states: ‘Youth rising – why apathy is not an option’, and to quote from one article “young people are carrying the can for capitalism’s structural failings’. Those who do read the magazine will know that it presents a global snapshot (and fact-shot) of complex issues.
This month the cartoon does relate to the theme – as well as using a bit too popular metaphor.
The Winter 2012 Edition of Australian Options (in newsagents now!) has an article ‘The real politics of Rupert Murdoch’ by David McKnight, author of the book Rupert Murdoch: an Investigation of Political Power.
The article argues that, although saying he simply runs his newspapers as profit making businesses, Rupert Murdoch has a deeper interest in political influence, and uses free market populism to sway debate on important issues.
These are the cartoons that illustrated the article (the article will explain just what they are referring to, but I hope they can stand alone).
The Australian Government plans to introduce an income management card – called the Basics Card – to a number of low-income areas. The intervention in the Northern Territory in 2007 included income management imposed on Aboriginal communities. Income management quarantines a proportion of welfare recipients’ benefits, through a card, which can only be spent on essentials.
This cartoon illustrates some of the concerns about the scheme, as presented in an article on the Pro Bono website news page. To read the article click here.
A poll of over 1700 clients by The Salvation Army showed that more than half have gone without meals to pay for other basic necessities. This is in Australia, a wealthy country…
The Scratchy Lines cartoon from the April New Internationalist
Some more rough drafts from the ‘not chosen’ folder – before their issues become old history (if only!).
The January/February issue of New Internationalist is in the newsagents.
Here is my Scratchy Lines cartoon, which appears on the Letters page:
The latest issue of Australian Options is out. To subscribe click here.
Below is a cartoon drawn to illustrate one of the articles in this issue: ‘Policy in the wake of the banking crisis: taking pluralism seriously’ by Sheila Dow.
As the article states ‘There is a limit to how far economists can understand a complex reality, far less predict the future. But fostering a range of perspectives and analytical methods would make economics much more robust in the face of unexpected developments …’
Here are a couple of recent editorial cartoons from the monthly New Internationalist magazine.
Somalia
Simon Kneebone - cartoonist and illustrator 