October Pt1

Unpublished. Social services and the Minister under a lot of flak these days. So I thought a different kind of suggestion box quite useful for the public.
Published. Post Cordoba and Snr Moratinos made a fleeting visit to La Linea... this is my belief as to why he came.
Unpublished. Apparently newspapers have been reporting the co-operation between Spain and Morocco is much better than between Gibraltar and Spain... no kidding? Not quite the kind of co-operation they meant.
More Cordoba, unpublished of course, the new terminal will mean a red and green channel and a channel for entry into Spain which as 'shengen' won't be quite the same??? Yeah that's what I thought so how about a red, yellow, red channel?
Good old RGP decided to crackdown on noisy motorcycles. Of course it won't be the noisy ones you expect as usual from the RGP it'll be the one's they can pick without causing trouble amongst the family, or the rich, or the blah blah.

September 2006

Rumours are rife the Japanese have 'squeezed' several tonnes of tuna through Gibraltar and not included it on their global quota? Allegedly. This was unpublished.
The apes (monkeys) on the Rock are biting more frequently. Depending on who you speak to it is either the tourists fault for feeding them. (for tourist read taxi drivers cough cough). Perhaps it is the fault of the government there is another line that believes the apes aren't fed properly by the people employed to look after them so they look for more food from the tourists. Whatever the issue they bite because they want something and logically if they have enough food why fight for more? Unpublished.
Published. The discovery this summer that Gibraltar was perhaps one of the last places we find evidence of Neanderthal Man before he became extinct gave rise to this one around the time of National Day.
The talks are now in the public forum but this unpublished attempt to recreate the atmosphere in Cordoba I believe is accurate depending on your view of politicians.

Aug 2006

Believe it or not the Electricity Board recently threatened a family with cutting their electricity supply unless they paid the electricity bill. Nothing wrong with that I hear you say. Except the bill belonged to a long deceased relative at another address... true, all true you couldn't make it up could you?
Published. Gibraltar now has the GSD, GSLP, PDP, GND etc etc will we have enough combinations of the alphabet?
Apparently the Gib 'friendly' Mayor of La Linea ordered grafitti to be removed that was highly visible and derogatory of the Chief Minister. Apparently it is not right that a leader of a neighbouring 'City' to be subject to such insults. Even you can guess this wouldn't make print... but go on.. you're thinking it aren't you?

Published. Microclimatic conditions necessitated the removal of the sliding doors at the new hospital and the 'even newer' revolving doors put in. At a cost of?
Published. Still the battle between air safety, the developers who want taller apartment blocks and the RAF.

July 2006

July, although not a sparse month, I think my ideas were a little too risque. This one was published though and suggests exactly how we can generate electricity in Gibraltar using new found technology.

It seems the Leader of the Opposition had a slight change of mind.... or did he?
RAF Bomb Disposal teams in action again in Gibraltar or at least they gave an interview. A direct quote from the article was that we use our 'wheelbarrow' in conjunction with what are really overgrown 'water pistols'. Ahhhh the secrets out.
Apparently Spanish reports to the European Commission on air pollution have stated that there is no problem at all with the air around the refinery? The EU have decided they'll get their own survey done.
More accusations of money laundering in Gibraltar coupled with Opposition accusations of the GSD stealing their political idea's gave rise to this little unpublished gem.

June 2006

Hi more cartoons for you to browse. I've been having trouble posting them but this one worked so I threw a few on. This is the latest which I drew today 27 June 2006. Unpublished at the moment but I always live in hope. It shows the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition crossing swords over this years budget.
This came out the day after the budget, published 26 June 2006 and features my thoughts on the real reason behind some of the tax cuts. Hey it's only comedy before you complain and they are politicians after all.
This cartoon follows the announcement by the Mail here in Gibraltar that they had just received some sacks of Xmas mail in May??? Somebody's to blame but that's not the issue. The cartoon follows on from the Chief Minister Peter Caruana's policy that people on jobs that have bonus schemes should actually do more work to get the bonus. Logical I say but it created hell with the Unions especially the TGWU.


A great piece in the local Spanish paper that I found announcing that in order to increase bi-lingual skills amongst the Spanish Zapatero has announced anyone taking an English course will get 1000 euro's for doing it. As all Gibraltarians are bi-lingual I suggested they should queue for their money.

Another published cartoon. One of the problems I am told by this Government is when they try and get things done the opposition waste a lot of the House of Assembly time asking bone questions. This cartoon came about because I read in the paper that opposition Leader Joe Bossano tabled over 350 questions for one sitting and Joe Garcia tabled 65!

Apr/May 2006

I interviewed the Capt from R.V. Odyssey for BFBS. A great chap and an interesting job searching for sunken wrecks the world over. Currently waiting for the go-ahead to revisited the 'alleged' site of HMS Sussex. I presented Capt Harry Phillips with this as a memento of my visit.

The Rosia Tanks saga rumbles on but by now they are mere dust and broken brick. It's amazing how either Heritage or the loss of parking, increase in traffic and noise can awaken some peoples sense of civil injustice.

The first ever internet $1.3M winner this was published in May 2006
The TGWU are always on about parity now not my issue but sometimes parity has to work both ways I think. Unpublished.... I wonder why?

Mrs Del Agua has come in for some stick over her dealings with sick people and the payment of bonus' I think she may have a point but the policing of it is going to make headlines. anyway the airport closed last week due to illness....... unpublished.

Cartoons

The first is entitled 'Quick Joe' and concerns the Leader of the GSLP in Gibraltar Mr Joe Bossano. A long serving and well known figure who during the recent to and fro'ing over the gold ship HMS Sussex suggested that Gibraltar should extend it's boundaries to 12 miles to encompass HMS Sussex thereby ceasing any Spanish claim over the lost ship or its bullion. The cartoon ran in Feb 2006.

Unfortunately the British Government through the Governor Sir Francis Richards decided that the current 3 mile limit was sufficient. This cartoon was in fact unpublished at the time in Feb 2006 but I think if politicians could really do what they wanted and ignore the feelings of others including neighbouring countries Joe Bossano would have definitely tried something like this.

Of course political comment is not everything and sometimes the foolishness of the criminal needs to be seen to be believed. The following was also unpublished from March 2006. Several men robbed a shop in Referendum House a block of flats on an estate. These would be high flyers proceeded to run upstairs after the robbery, yes in the same block of flats and hide inside one of the flats. Needless to say it wasn't difficult for the police to find them after sealing off the area and arriving literally mob handed for a flat to flat search or did they get a tip off?

Another recent cartoon was in response to the announcement that Disney cruises had decided to add Gibraltar as one of their port of calls. Whether this would upset the sensitivities of those in Disney I don't know but this too was unpublished. A simple gag cartoon that I don't think could offend anyone mind you perhaps it is too tame?


This cartoon was published on the 18 April 2006. Last week a Barbary Macaque in captivity was born in Spain. Widely reported it was the first new ape born this year, before any Gibraltar apes did their thing. The term Barbary Macaque is the correct name of the Gibraltar Apes.

There has been a lot of talk recently of heritage and the destruction of Rosia Tanks particularly. It is not up to me to takes sides in the debate but this cartoon published 27 Feb 06 has the Chief Minister Peter Caruana on his theme of urban renewal. I can't take all the credit for this as the theme was suggested to me.

On the 18 Feb 06 this cartoon responded to the Governments announcement that there was nothing to fear from Bird Flu. What amazes me is that even yesterday (18 Apr) I was sat in Casemates square watching the pigeon catcher trying to catch the pigeons that live and transit through Gibraltar. Culling all the pigeons seems a little harsh when the seagulls are left and there is absolutely no way it will end until every pigeon on the planet likely to fly this way has been dealt with? Talk about jobs for life, nice one if you can stomach twisting pigeon's necks.

Of course sometimes I draw for other reasons. This one was for a local cartoon competition and hinges on the fact that British Government promise not to use Gibraltar for it's nuclear sub fleet. At least not without letting the Spanish know first.

Recently the question was asked what use or role should the Governor play in a country like Gibraltar that isn't a colony but a British Dependant Territory with it's own Government. Sir Francis Richard's in his final year as Governor has been very positive for Gibraltar and compared to some previous encumbents he is very pro-Gibraltarian. The question still remains and I have my own idea's as you can see. This was unpublished.

A recent article covered the lack of convictions by jury ibn Gibraltar for those born here. As a foreigner you are more likely to be convicted apparently. Not because of any anti foreign policy just because everyone knows each other here and the jury won't convict people they know, quite natural really. Unpublished.

This cartoon covers both the culling here in Gibraltar coupled with recent problems in UK about postcode lotteries as far as getting the right treatment for illness is concerned. Unpublished.

Published in March 2006 this for me summed up the Leader of the Opposition's attempt to turn any newsworthy piece into political gain and hope the referendum is seen more as an election marker rather than a simple referendum. I felt Dad's Army was an appropriate title here.

Another unpublished. This one shows the current CBF Cdre Alan Adair with General Sir Mike Jackson on to a visit. An odd visit, I never understood the value of them except for political gain. The troops really hate them as it entails more work for a handshake and the rare occasion that one of the visitors actually seems to be interested is far outweighed by the ones that are there for other reasons and the effort. There has to be a mathematical formula that relates the ratio from work/effort to good manners and I'll bet the two are exponentially opposed. Still I wonder what the chances are of him becoming the next Governor are? As at today 23 Apr 2006 no announcement made but rumours are strong the next one will be a military man.

This was inspired by the visit of a Lord of the Realm on a quick nip to his holiday home in Spain. As he came through Gibraltar a slight altercation occurred with the border police as to his duty free allowance resulting in a possible trial sometime this year.

I am never surprised by a politicians willingness to take up any baton that may or may not get them noticed. Love or hate Joe Bossano he's getting stuck in there and recently has had more headlines than the Chief Minister. This cartoon came about because some of the comments about the tripartite talks and dealings with the Spanish are a little too way out to be possible. Or are they?

This happened only yesterday... allegedly. Some 800+ kilos of cannabis discovered in a joint operation by the RGP. Nice one boys. Unpublished but I always live in hope.
I apologise for the amount of words in this but they are necessary. I often hear about how the 'parity' that some employees have in Gibraltar is not total parity, in fact they are all 'cherry picked' so the best ones happen but the worst like.. performance related bonus' and productivity deals etc etc are casually forgotten. Oh please.. performance related pay.... imagine what the Chronicle who have to pay if it was down to the ideas and not just the published end product.
The one above I drew during the Gibraltar Heritage Trust competition in May 2006. I had a little time after finishing a small painting. Recent requests by the Moroccan community for a vote were turned down by the Chief Minister, hence the joke. Many people liked it but it didn't get published although the Chronicle printed it as part of the 'competition' article.