By Phil Shannon
CANBERRA — Around 80 people wanting to invest in socially critical humour snapped up the latest portfolio offer in Hinze cartoon stock at a launch of Heinrich Hinze's newest cartoon float on October 13 at Tilley's in Lyneham.
Australia Incorporated: A Cartoon Prospectus by Heinrich Hinze (aka David Pope) should be a market leader in dispelling the political blues, warming the hearts and exercising the laughter lungs of political activists and those who feel that there is something rotten in the boardrooms, editorial offices, backbenches and inner cabinets of this wide, brown, deregulated, downsized, outsourced, flexibilised, Hansonised, whitewashed, bulldozed, greenhoused, Menzied land of ours.
As pointed out by Heinrich at the launch, with the advent of the Coalition government, never have so many cartoonists owed so much scope for satire to so few. But as one of his cartoons notes, if the Coalition is seeing further to a future of greater inequality, division and poverty, it is because it is standing on the shoulders of giants (bearing a remarkable resemblance to a PM called Paul).
Heinrich's latest collection includes cartoons he has done for the labour, environmental and social movements and the alternative press.
Green Left Weekly readers will recognise some old favourites, but there are many new cartoons like the agitated member of "Executive Salaries Anonymous" confessing, "I just can't seem to get through a single quarter of economic growth now without pouring myself at least one stiff performance bonus", or Howard with "Telstra For Sale" tucked under his arm being excited by one of Heinrich's bloated capitalists and asking, "Is that a mobile in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?".
Guest speakers at the launch included the cartoonist Judy Horacek and Guy Hansen, curator of political history at the National Museum of Australia.
Copies of Australia Incorporated: A Cartoon Prospectus are available from worthwhile bookshops or from Scratch! Media, PO Box 597, Dickson ACT 2602 for $15. Cheques should be made payable to Scratch! Media. Telephone/fax (02) 6249 1123.