Campaign cartoons: no more man of steel

Abstract

This article tracks the waning of John Howard's authority as leader during the Australian federal election campaign of 2007 by focusing on the political cartoons in major newspapers. Political cartoons as analysed in this piece provide two interlinked things of interest to political analysts: (1) a clear account of the ebb and flow of election campaigns; and (2) a good gauge of political ‘strength’ of individuals as it is projected in the media. The story they tell for the 2007 campaign in Australia is of a tired government led by a once-strong leader who came to look faintly ridiculous in the face of circumstances he could no longer control.

Keywords:

• political cartoons
• John Howard
• Kevin Rudd
• election campaigns
• satire
• Australian political history

Notes

1. Haydon Manning and Robert Phiddian, ‘Where are the Clowns? Political satire in the 1998 campaign’, in Marian Simms and John Warhurst (eds), Howard's Mandate: The 1998 Australian Federal Election, University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, 2000, pp 48–63.

2. Robert Phiddian, ‘Was it merely Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee? Political satire in the 1996 Australian Federal Election’, Meanjin, vol 57, no 2, 1998, pp 278–98.

3. Russ Radcliffe, Man of Steel: A Cartoon History of the Howard Years, Scribe, Melbourne, 2007.

4. Judith Brett, ‘Opinion: the weakness in strength’, Age, 8 December 2007, Insight, p 7.

5. Judith Brett, ‘Exit right: the unravelling of John Howard’. Quarterly Essay 28, Black Inc., Melbourne, 2007.

6. Haydon Manning and Robert Phiddian, ‘Political cartoons: incredulous chroniclers’, in Marian Simms and John Warhurst (eds), Mortgage Nation: The 2004 Australian Election, API Network and Curtin University of Technology, Perth, 2005, pp 83–102; Haydon Manning and Robert Phiddian, ‘Two men and some boats: the cartoonists and the 2001 election’ in John Warhurst and Marian Simms (eds), 2001: The Centenary Election, University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, 2002, pp 41–62.

7. Australian, 3 November 2007.

8. Australian, 16 November 2007.

9. Bill Leak, ‘Opinion: say no to handsome pollies.’ Australian, 22–23 December 2007, Inquirer, p 15.