Editorial cartoons for the London Times
Some of the major news events covered in the political cartoons are the passing away of some of the great names of the 20th Century. Nelson Mandela, for many is the epitome of righteous defiance in the face of over-whelming adversity. The measure of the man and what bound him to so many was his complete lack of animosity towards his former captors and oppressors, allowing him to take South Africa forward and not backwards. Neil Armstrong, the commander of Apollo 11 and the first man to step on the Moon - his achievements speak for themselves, a quiet and unassuming man, which only added to the legend. Stories also covered are the Sandy Hook tragedy where 20 children and 6 adults were killed, the forgone conclusion of Robert Mugabe's re-election, the initial disappearance of Edward Snowden and Julian Assange retreating to the refuge of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. As well as pieces featuring the usual suspects, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and Nigel Farage.
There are some concerns for the future of political cartoons in UK national newspapers, with some titles recently no longer choosing to carry a daily comment cartoon. But thankfully some newspapers recognise the importance of such work in engaging many and putting points across in ways that words just cannot conjure so succinctly and this is one of those newspapers.
The London Times has an extremely positive attitude towards political content and is incredibly supportive of the artists, and the political comment team play an excellent role in supporting the creative process to ensure the editorial cartoons are as good as they possibly can be.