Cartoon: Head in the Sand

BACKGROUND
David Cameron has been accused of trying to hide the role of pollution in causing the severe smog affecting parts of the UK after he blamed the problem solely on Saharan dust, while the London mayor, Boris Johnson, said the air seemed "perfectly fine" to him. Some ministers are claiming there is little they can do about the poor air quality, with Cameron insisting the smog is just "a naturally occurring weather phenomenon". Read more >>

THE CARTOON
The cartoon by Ben Jennings from The Guardian shows David Cameron with his head in a bucket of Sahara Dust. In the background, we can see the London traffic through a haze of smog.

EXPLANATION
The cartoonist plays on a common English idiom. If you bury (or hide) your head in the sand, you refuse to admit that a problem exists or refuse to deal with it. • Parents said bullying was being ignored, and accused the headmaster of burying his head in the sand. The expression alludes to an ostrich, which is believed incorrectly to hide its head in a hole in the ground when it sees danger.

ALSO SEE
• Mac cartoon (Daily Mail)

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