This cartoon by Schrank from The Independent uses the recent floods in the UK as a metaphor for Britain's dire economic situation.
The three leading members of the coalition government are shown in a rowing boat, on top of a giant wave. Prime Minister David Cameron (the one holding the ironic Happy New Year balloon) is trying to grab the paddle which has slipped from his grip. This is a reference to the idiom "up a river (or creek) without a paddle", which means to be stuck in a bad situation without any means of fixing it. Deputy PM Nick Clegg, the one in the middle, is holding his head in horror. And Chancellor George Osborne, glass of champagne in hand, tells his colleagues, "I can see the recovery from up here!" Meanwhile, people are drowning in the flood waters.
COMMENTARY
Osborne is shown wearing his Bullingdon suit (The Bullingdon Club is an exclusive Oxford University dining society), so one interpretation of the cartoon is that the elite are not suffering too much during the crisis—at least they're in the boat and not in the water! However, another reading would be that the government is adrift, and is at the mercy of the economic storm. Earlier this month, Osborne admitted that the recovery is taking longer than expected, warning that the government will miss its key economic targets, so his comment could be regarded as either ironic or over-optimistic.
