The Young Fabians need you!

Cartoons have been a part of politics for as long as politicians. Their popularity is about far more than aesthetics. A great cartoon can highlight an issue or satarise the powerful in ways that few articles can.

Watching Blair’s evidence at the Chilcott Inquiry, for example, I was reminded of Gerald Scarfe’s famous cartoon of the former Prime Minister. Grumpy and weighed down with Iraq’s ball and chain, it stripped Blair of his slick gloss in a way that no committee – however distinguished – could.

The current edition of Anticipations – which will be hitting members doorsteps in the coming days – contains the first ever Young Fabians cartoon (see above). Placed above the Message from the Editor, it captures my view that British politicians have been left behind online. I argue that WebCameron – which is supposed to represent the best our politicians can offer – is little more than the moving picture equivalent of a set piece ministerial speech or top line briefing. Labour should learn the real lessons of the web and use its power to give people meaningful control over the public services that shape their lives.

I want to include more cartoons in future magazines – so this is a call to arms! If you’re a cartoonist and would like to contribute to a future edition of Anticipations, to paraphrase the words beneath perhaps the most famous political cartoon of them all, we need you! Please get in touch.

Also, we’re including Letters to the Editor in the next edition of Anticipations.  Let me know your thoughts about the cartoon and anything else in the magazine. Did you passionately disagree with any of the contributors? Did you strongly support the position of an article? If so, let me know.

We’re always looking to make Anticipations even better. If you have any ideas for how it could be improved, whether it’s new sections, features or topics, we want to hear from you.

I hope you enjoy reading the magazine!

James Green

Anticipations Editor