I think it goes both ways
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...pg?format=500w
And the difference is that Tremain strokes your prejudiced view of the world and Body (at least from your description) caresses my own. Both of us believe that our political stance is correct, appropriate, and founded firmly on fact. I would like to see
us move left, you would like to see
us move right.
You are keenly aware that political cartoons and the humour they (hopefully contain) are part of a struggle for hearts and minds and votes. I don't know whether you are also keenly aware (I sure am) that the whole social discourse is embedded in that struggle.
The "
us"es are bolded in the paragraphs above, because when I used them I was trying to avoid specifying NZ or Aotearoa. That is because whatever we call ourselves, we are all here in this land together, and until all you right wing lot decamp for pastures greener, questions of national identity, biculturalism, co governance blah de blah, are going to be matters of political importance.
I think that ultimately, these questions are part of and come down (or up) to larger questions about inclusion and diversity and power. The right are currently hammering them all over the world.
I can't say the same about Crime and Education, which the right are similarly targeting as issues to excite the general public. There, at least, we have some data to discuss.
You will provide data to show the sky is falling in both areas, due to the stupidity and incompetence of this [insert adjectival phrase] govt, while I will plead that they are doing well in difficult circumstances.
AFAIK, NZ ranks very highly in all the freedom indicies I have been able to find, and both crime and education stats are impressive both on a world scale, and locally considering what we have been through.