government – Vulgar Army

Its Arms Work All Together Now

Another monopoly octopus from “drafts” folders with no information or notes. I think I may have poached it from Getty Images (just a hunch)… Circa 1920s.

Old policies! Old values! No future!

“Old policies! Old values! No future!” – 2002 via State Library of Victoria Howard Government refers to Australian Federal Government. They were re-elected. They introduced several policies such as removing student union fees (that supported a whole raft of services such as counsellors, advocacy for students etc as well as social events) while massively increasing […]

Erkenne die Gefahr!

“Erkenne die Gefahr! Wähle Österreichische Volkspartei, Wien 1949” (Recognize the danger! Choose Austrian People’s Party, Vienna 1949) The Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and the dangers of Communism (1949) With a view to the parliamentary elections due to be held on 9 October 1949 in Austria, the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) warns the country’s voters against […]

John Bull

“John Bull in Egypt”, no information for this one. However, can be compared to 1888 Punch cartoon, and is probably of a similar age. Image source: BradlyHardin.com

Another tentacle or two and I’m done for!

The Marconi Octopus Liberal Party – “Another tentacle or two and I’m done for!” published in Punch, or the London Charivari, on June 18th 1913. The name ‘Marconi Octopus’ was derived from the Marconi Company who received a large contract from the UK government to build six radio stations to ‘linking Britain to the Empire’ (1). […]

The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) January 06, 1918, FINAL EDITION Don’t Allow This Octopus To Get a Strangle Hold Upon the Public Domain. Kill the “Relief” Provisions of Senate Bill No. 2812 “A Bill To Encourage and Promote the Mining of Coal and Phosphate, Oil, Gas, Potassium and Sodium on the Public Domain.” The “Relief” […]

Cartoon by Geoff Pryor, published in the Canberra Times on 6 June 1979. The octopus has its limbs tattooed as “Narc[otics] Bureau”, “Police”, “Politicians”, “Traffickers”, and “Pushers”. The only players not part of the octopus (or complicit) are the dealer(?) and buyer. Relates to the Australian Federal Police Act of 1979. This later (October 1979) resulted in the […]

Claude Marquet, ‘Fighting the Octopus’, Worker (Sydney), 12 November 1904. Reprinted p6.32 in ‘All the world over’, Dyrenfurth, Nick; Quartly, Marian, Drawing the Line 2009 1:1, 6.1-6.47 Octopus represents American Tobacco trusts with hat called ‘Greed’. It grasps a North American ‘Factory Hand’, ‘Consumer’, and ‘Retailer’ and South American ‘Planter’, and is reaching towards Australia. Sword held by Australian (farmer?) […]

The Federal Octopus, 1933 Update: no one is to tell Mr. Rabbit – the mad monk – about the federal octopus of waste.

“What the Socialist Prime Minister aims at by his Referenda scheme.”Brisbane Courier, Friday May 23rd 1913 p4. Octopus with the head of Andrew Fisher. Cartoon was published about a week prior to the general election on May 31 in which the newly renamed Labor party lost by one seat. The “Referenda scheme” refers to the […]