2014 As Told By Political Cartoons

All these via The Best of Britain's Political Cartoons 2014, edited by Tim Benson.

1. Martin Rowson, The Guardian, 15 March

Martin Rowson, The Guardian

The death of trade union leader Bob Crow and veteran Labour politician Tony Benn within days of each other was illustrated by Martin Rowson with crocodile tears being shed by conservative figures.

Boris Johnson had recently called Crow "demented" and refused to negotiate with him over threatened Tube strikes, but after his death called him a "fighter and man of character". Similarly, Benn was described as "magnificent" by David Cameron.

2. Morten Morland, The Times, 23 March

Morten Morland, The Times

Ed Miliband was a popular choice for cartoonists in 2014, seen here illustrated by Morten Morland in The Times after two poor poll results caused backbench Labour MPs to question his leadership.

3. Dave Brown, The Independent, 11 April

Dave Brown, The Independent

After the resignation of Maria Miller as minister for women and equalities, the cabinet was left without a minister responsible for women's issues – giving cartoonists the opportunity to poke fun at the government's male-centric make-up.

4. Bob Moran, the Daily Telegraph, 18 May

Bob Moran, The Daily Telegraph

The cartoonist said: "An idea that was slightly open to interpretation. The intended message was that the dinosaur [i.e. Nigel Farage] continues to survive despite the labels and accusations raining down. Some readers took it to mean the old fossil was about to be obliterated. Ambiguity’s not necessarily a bad thing."

5. Peter Brookes, The Times, 19 July

Peter Brookes, The Times

Barack Obama had just accused Russia of supplying arms to separatist rebels who allegedly shot down Malaysian Airways Flight MH17 over Ukraine, killing 298 passengers and crew. Downing Street said it was "increasingly likely that MH17 was shot down by a separatist missile".

Vladimir Putin's reputation as a shirtless, outdoor-loving alpha male made for a memorable cartoon from Peter Brookes.

6. Christian Adams, the Daily Telegraph, 13 June

Christian Adams, The Daily Telegraph

ISIS militants had advanced into the ethnically diverse Iraqi province of Diyala, capturing the town of Dhuluiyah, 60 miles from Baghdad. A spokesman vowed the group would press on to the capital.

Adams' cartoon lampoons the triumphalism of US military intervention against Saddam Hussein's regime, which culminated in a "mission accomplished" banner being displayed as George W. Bush gave a speech on board the USS Abraham Lincoln in 2003.

7. Peter Schrank, The Independent on Sunday, 10 August

Peter Schrank, Independent on Sunday

Alex Salmond continued to refuse to reveal his "plan B" for an independent Scotland if it was unable to share sterling with England.

The cartoonist said: "A really important story, two radically different and very caricaturable politicians, fantastic landscape and a nice, smutty (if slightly overused) joke: Some cartoons are just great fun to draw."