So with the devious McSweeney pushed off the cliff, who might be next? Ooops! [11/2/2026; unpublished]

The Winter Olympics begin. Meanwhile, greater drama unfolds within No10 Downing Street. The McSweeney/Mandelson/Starmer debacle seems to be begging for a scapegoat. Who's first? [Telegraph Saturday 7/2/2026]

Oh, he's gone! Oh well, guess that's the last time I'll have to draw the scheming little fellow then. Ho hum. [Telegraph Sunday 8/2/26]. #Starmer #Mandelson #McSweeney

Winter sports time. Check out the Men's Downhill. Let's see how it pans out #Starmer [Telegraph Saturday 7/2/26]

Pam Bondi just sent a letter to Minnesota officials saying ICE will leave if the state turns over its voter database to Trump. Guess what? This has never been about safety or immigration. It’s a pretext for Trump to take over elections in swing states.

What a disgrace of a human. Why dos the US media not call him out? Oh yes, never mind - rhetorical question.

Disgusting weasel of a man.

best political/editorial carton of 2025? Well, there is a wide choice here s.surveyplanet.com/bqq48opj but you MIGHT consider this one (below). Seems kinda relevant now, sadly. [I was reminded of the USA's historical moral high-point]. Just sayin'. Remember - vote early, vote often...

Awards! - thousands of em! Anyway, you could vote for my cartoon s.surveyplanet.com/bqq48opj (above) in the PCO annual cartoon awards (editorial section). Mind you, there are many OTHER cartoons for your delectation. Voting deadline 22 Jan. (NB this post fixes the broken link)

Trump continued to increase pressure on Zelensky to agree to a peace deal, and urged him to "play ball" by ceding territory to Moscow. [Telegraph Thursday 11/12/25].

Russian spy ship is spotted mapping undersea cables. Defence Sec Healey warns Putin: "We see you, we know what you're doing, we're ready." Hmmm, sure. The ship aimed lasers at RAF pilots. It has cable-cutting equipment and manned submersibles. [Telegraph Thursday 20/11/25].

Starmer said the public should now start to see improvements including lower bills etc. and as the least popular PM ever, he has to face local elections in May. And maybe a leadership challenge? Mystic Ange will tell all. [Telegraph Friday 2/1/2026].

Starmer - on three separate occasions - went out of his way to say that he wanted to go further on diluting Brexit. "We have to keep moving towards a closer relationship with the EU." What's this? Boldness? Bravery? Hubris? [Telegraph Friday 5/12/25].

Starmer says MPs would have a debate and vote before any UK troops were deployed on peacekeeping duties in Ukraine. The entire armed forces would probably fit into the Commons these days, so why not let them decide for themselves? [Telegraph Friday 9/1/2026].

Trouble at t'Iran. Teetering ayatollah has nowhere to turn - support base is crumbling as protests engulf the cities. Protesters chant “death to Khamenei” rather than the traditional refrain “death to America”. Will it be a Saddam moment? [Telegraph Monday 12/1/2026].

Leaked, unabridged version of Trump's Security Strategy is pretty shocking - US wants to persuade four nations to leave EU [Austria, Hungary, Italy and Poland]. Phew. [Telegraph Saturday 13/12/25]

It's time for that Cartoon of the Year lark. I mean, you COULD vote for this one. But other brands are available. Vote here: www.ellwoodatfield.com/cartoon-of-t...

That jolly japer #Putin just wants to make peace; it's those pesky Europeans that cause all the trouble, eh? [Telegraph Thursday 4/12/25].

Weakening economy figures only add to the pressure already on Reeves. "Fire up that growth balloon!" [Telegraph Friday 14/11/25].

Anonymous No10 briefings about possible coup to overthrow Starmer may have backfired. Badenoch asks if there is a toxic culture at No10. Streeting has said much the same. [Telegraph Thursday 13/11/25].

Justice minister Lammy under mounting pressure by rabid media after two more prisoners mistakenly freed (one now back in custody). [Telegraph Friday 7/11/25].

Why, a year after raising taxes and vowing not to come back for more, is Reeves coming back for more? She will "do what is necessary, not what is popular". Ooo-ooh! [Telegraph Thursday 6/11/25].

Starmer declined to stand by manifesto commitments on taxes and did not repeat the promise not to raise income tax rates, VAT or NI. "Quick! Bury that thing!" Meh, most of the original promises that got him elected were buried long ago anyway. [Telegraph Friday 31/10/25]

Starmer declined to stand by manifesto commitments on taxes and did not repeat the promise not to raise income tax rates, VAT or NI. "Quick! Bury that thing!" Meh, most of the original promises that got him elected were buried long ago anyway. [Telegraph Friday 31/10/25]

Reeves will "defy" gloomy forecasts for the UK economy after it emerged the government is facing a bigger-than-expected hole in the public finances. Oh and it's Hallowe'en. [Telegraph Thursday 30/10/25].

Government furious about the number of illegal migrants in hotels, flawed contracts etc; repeats pledge to close asylum hotels by 2029. [Telegraph Tuesday 28/10/25].

Despite some recovery in the NHS, Streeting says there is a growing sense of "despair" in the country - wondering if anyone can "turn the country around". [Telegraph Tuesday 27/10/25]

Here's one that didn't get past the rough stage this week. #KemiBadenoch at conference, trying heroically to big-up the atmosphere. ("Infamy, infamy"...etc.)

So, while peace breaks out in Gaza and Trump turns his National Guard inward to fight "domestic terror", I bring you a flaccid gag about relaxing the UK licensing laws (helping economic growth?) to...er...brighten your day. Meh! Come on, cheer up! [Telegraph Friday 10/10/25].

The prosecution of two Brits, alleged to have spied for China, collapsed because Starmer's Government refused to say that China was an “enemy” of the UK (just a competitor). OK, I'll grant you, not exactly a side-splitter 😐[Telegraph Thursday 9/10/25].

Flags, flags everywhere at the Labour Party conference. Starmer misses no opportunity to wrap himself in the Union Jack in a brazen attempt to steal Farage's clothes. I guess we'll see if it worked. [Telegraph Friday 2/10/25].

Burnham denies aiming to stand against Starmer but presents policies he said would “turn the country around” - higher council tax on expensive homes in SE, £40bn of borrowing to build council houses, income tax cuts for lower earners, 50p rate for the highest-paid. [Telegraph Friday 26/9/25].

At the Lib Dem conference, Ed Davey presents no new policies but asks for the support of disillusioned Tories in order to conquer the high peaks of power. Any whiff of electoral expectation from a Lib Dem leader is an inevitable reminder of David Steel's wild hubris. [Telegraph Thursday 25/9/25].

Shabana Mahmood, new hard-nut right-wing Home Sec, will lodge an appeal against a court ruling which blocked a migrant being returned to France. Meanwhile the first 1-in-1-out migrant is returned. Gloves off with the judges then. [Telegraph Friday 19/9/25].

Starmer got to escape his demons for a day playing pomp and circumstance with Trump at Windsor...but it's back to normal again. White tie back in the wardrobe. This is the earlier unexpurgated version (n pants!) [Telegraph Thursday 18/9/25].

Kyiv attack shows Putin’s talk about peace is all posturing; he rejects Western proposals for a “reassurance force” in Ukraine if a ceasefire is agreed. Psychological warfare indeed. The psychopathic Lt Col Kilgore in Apocalypse Now seemed to fit. [Telegraph Monday 9/9/25].

Summer is hottest ever in UK. Labour's polling gets worse and worse. Farage has spent the summer "recess" making lots of noise about crumbling Britain, forcing the media to dance to his tune, not that of Starmer (who has no tune). [Telegraph Thursday 28/08/25].

With customary subtle irony, #Putin demands to be part of any decisions of Ukraine's future if/when peace descends. Meanwhile, he increases the bombardment of Ukraine. [Telegraph Friday 22/08/25].

Rachel Reeves is reportedly considering expansion of UK National Insurance (tax) to include rental income - currently exempt from the levy - to plug a £40bn shortfall in the public finances. Is that such a shock? [Telegraph Friday 29/08/25].

Gary is a prized asset himself - a refreshingly original analysis of our current plight.

Trump heads off to Alaska to meet his buddy Putin to sort out Ukraine. Will Zelensky be on the table? [Telegraph Friday 15/08/25].

A disastrous week for Starmer - almost lost a vote on welfare cuts. Big U-turn. Then Rachel Reeves in tears at PMQ. So Wes Streeting's wizard "10-year Plan" will restore the ailing Starmer. Well, that's what those paramedics are for, eh? [Telegraph Friday 04/07/25].

Ah, yes, Mystic Dan. Unspeakably depressing. Astonishing hubris from a rabid ideologue of the free market right. Utter nonsense delivered with eloquent "conviction". Now a Lord. Johnson and Farage; narcissistic opportunists. Gove just an opportunist. Hannan is the worst of them.

HS2 delayed again. The current schedule is declared undeliverable and when the line does open, it may initially have to run at slower speeds. [Telegraph Friday 20/6/25].

Rachel from accounts sets her sights on growth as her salvation in the Spending Review. Next morning, as if nobody had checked the diary, the ONS reports that growth has headed in the anti-growth direction in April. [Telegraph Friday 13/6/25].

A brand new statue of Stalin has been unveiled in Moscow (among many others). The cult of the Strong Man is being revived enthusiastically. Meanwhile, a Putin advisor argues that the Soviet Union in fact still exists, because of a procedural error. Uh-oh! [Telegraph Friday 30/5/25].

Starmer announces that a "brightening economic outlook" (0.7% GDP growth in Q1) has allowed him to partially reverse his politically catastrophic winter fuel pensioner payment cuts. On the same day, ONS announces that April budget deficit is a stonking £20bn.  [Telegraph Friday 23/5/25].

Starmer responds to the electoral shift to Reform by...mimicking them. He proposes that certain (unspecified) countries will become "return hubs", taking rejected asylum seekers for dispersal (I think). Labour voters may be asking what they voted for. [Telegraph Friday 16/5/25].

Despite poor performance in the elections, a threatened backbench Labour rebellions over disability benefits and winter fuel and a thinktank saying the NI tax is harming the economy, #Starmer will not be "blown off course". Hmmm. [Telegraph Friday 9/5/25].

Miliband may or may not introduce regional pricing variations for electricity. This seems to have sent the media into paroxysms of unabated anger. Will enraged middle England rise in revolt against the hated communist Miliband? Let's grab a coffee and wait and see. [Telegraph Friday 25/04/25]