The Art Of Politics: Of Coronations And Electioneering… It’s May
by Richard Bruton
The Art of Politics, running through the political cartooning of the month, every month…
Here we go again, another month where the political cartoonists successfully skewer the topical events way better than endless hours of 24-hour news…
U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A. (repeat)…
We’re all electioneering…
Peter Brookes channeling Martha Stewart’s SI cover pose for Granpa Joe…
Kal on Biden’s age… something everyone’s focused on…
Ron De Santis, the Florida Governor with his anti-LGBTQ, anti-Disney, anti-woke agenda threw his hat into the ring with a Twitter announcement that almost completely failed… hopefully the first of many failures of a man whose ideology appears worse than Trump’s.
David Rowe on that…
In between the electioneering, the small matter of the national debt ceiling…
Now, being a Brit living in the USA, I have some idea of what the debt ceiling is and why it’s so damn important, not to mention why the Democrats and Republicans always seem to be arguing over it. But a little bit of remedial reading was required here… I went for this Dummies article which sort of covered the basics. Effectively, it’s the limit to what the US government can borrow to pay for its existing monetary obligations, the absolutely essential stuff for millions of Americans, such as Social Security, Medicare, military salaries, the interest payable on national debt… that sort of thing.
And of course, the Republicans and Democrats have to fight over this, especially now that the Republicans control the House of Representatives. Hence why President Biden and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy have been at loggerheads over the debt ceiling…
Kal –
Donald Trump – post sexual abuse verdict…
In news that surprises no one, the verdict in the civil case that found that Donald Trump did sexually abuse E. Jean Carroll and has been ordered to pay her $5 million has had very little impact on the support from his base as he builds to the Presidential election in 2024…
Chris Britt again…
Guns – of course it’s the guns
There hasn’t been a high profile mass shooting this month. But of course that doesn’t mean that the killings have stopped. It just means that America and the media are so used to them, so inured to them, that they barely make a mark on the national consciousness anymore. But the mass killings, the mass shootings, the murder of innocents, the deaths of children continue day in and day out.
A good source of horrifying stats is the Gun Violence Archive. Their stats up until 29 May showed 73 mass shooting just in May alone – mass shootings being an incident where 4 people are injured or killed.
And finally, the continuing erosion of women’s rights across the US in red states…
Ann Telnaes, again, on the restrictions on access to mifepristone, one of the most commonly used abortion drugs
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE UK?
Coronation – Arise King Charles, that will be how much?
Start of the month, time to anoint the new King, as Charles took his place as monarch in what’s been described as a stripped-back coronation. Meaning just a couple of near-priceless carriages were used this time.
As Charles’ private wealth creeps up to an estimate of just £1.8 Billion, the Coronation cost the taxpayer approximately £125 million. And right now, there are a lot of people and organisations that could have benefited greatly from that money.
Of all the coronation cartoons, it’s an American that nails it best… Christopher Weyant…
Steve Bell on the historic vestments on show…
Stephen Collins had this on the Coronation… and it was surprisingly spot on, with Liz Truss in red for the day…
And here’s Ben Jennings on the crackdown on civil liberties and protests where the Metropolitan Police arrested 64 people on the day for peaceful protests, some of them being arrested before they’d actually done anything, including anti-monarchists, environmentalist, and women’s safety campaigners. The wonderful era of the police arresting you for things you might do is here.
Steve Bell on the same…
Immigration
Suella Braverman and the Conservative government keep trying to lower the bar in the immigration debate, finding more and more reprehensible ways to demonise immigration and asylum seekers. As someone who’s spent the best part of two weeks in an NHS hospital here in the UK for 14 hours a day, it’s pretty obvious to anyone with eyes that the finest parts of the greatest accomplishment of the country was built on and continues to depend on immigrants and the descendants of immigrants.
Ben Jennings on Suella (rhymes with Cruella) and her plans for becoming Prime Minister at some point (as soon as she can possibly engineer it one would think).
MEANWHILE – ON THE SUBJECT OF CRUELLA SUELLA
Came out this month that Suella Braverman, Home Secretary had asked her civil servants to arrange a personal one-to-one speed awareness course after getting a speeding fine. Problem is, Ministers aren’t meant to use the civil service that way and it’s a breach of ministerial policy to ask them to sort personal matters out. Of course, Cruella just brushed it off and moved on – because that’s what she does, break rules, breaks laws, and just thinks herself above them all.
CLIMATE DISASTER NOW
This year we’re fast approaching the 1.5C global heating limit for the first time according to a new forecast. And yet it’s still not the massive news that it should be…
UKRAINE
Ella Baron – Vladamir Putin marks the anniversary of the victory over the Nazis by launching new cruise missile attacks over Kyiv
And although the war is far from over, it’s one that Ukraine continues to make gains in… Nicola Jennings –
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy had been doing the rounds of countries looking for aid and assistance – where politicians have been ever so keen to get the photo ops in. Far more than they’ve been keen to supply Ukraine with the arms it needs.
