Cartoon: You Are Entering The Eurozone.

This (brilliant) cartoon by Patrick Blower from The Telegraph relates to UK Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to Berlin today for talks on the Eurozone debt crisis with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The scene is a dark and icy border crossing evocative of those Cold War espionage movies such as “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". Cameron is shown as a man with a briefcase about to enter the Eurozone. A 'welcome party' consisting of Merkel flanked by two 'heavies' awaits him on the other side of the border.

COMMENTARY

The cartoon graphically illustrates the idea that the Eurozone has become a new EU bloc, leaving Britain out in the cold (Britain is one of the 27 EU member states, but does not belong to the group of 17 Eurozone countries). In fact, The Telegraph reports today 'fears that German plans to deal with the Eurozone crisis involve an erosion of national sovereignty that could pave the way for a European "super state" with its own tax and spending plans set in Brussels. Britain would be relegated to a new outer group of EU members who are not in the single currency.'

IDIOM

If someone is left out in the cold, they are not allowed to become part of a group or an activity.

• The government's transport policy leaves people who do not own cars out in the cold.

 • Women's football teams feel they are left out in the cold as far as media coverage is concerned.

Cartoon: The Eurozone Whirlpool

In this cartoon from The Independent, Schrank uses a visual metaphor for the eurozone debt crisis. EU leaders are portrayed as ducks being sucked into a eurozone whirlpool. We can assume that the duck which has already disappeared into the hole is former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou. Next in line is outgoing Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi. Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel are swirling round on the outside, while David Cameron looks on in dismay (the UK is not part of the eurozone but risks being tipped into recession by the eurozone debt crisis).

COMMENT

It's possible that the cartoonist was also thinking about the expression 'to go down the plughole'. A plughole is the small hole in a bath or sink which allows the water to drain away. If something goes down the plughole, it is wasted or ruined.

• Austerity measures are hurting and without the necessary rate cut to help with the pain, Portugal could be heading down the plug hole.