Over on the Guardian’s Comment is Free site, Liberal Democrat blogger-in-chief, Jonathan Calder, turns his attention to one of this week’s most important political stories: the arrival of Larry, Downing Street’s newest resident (who also happens to be a cat). It was, of course, Downing Street’s rodent problem (no, actual rats, thank you Harriet) that necessitated Larry’s presence, and Jonathan even has time for a brief history of Westminster’s rodential (yes, that really is a word) residents, as well as its feline ones.
Here’s an extract:
You could argue that his arrival marks a much-needed victory for Nick Clegg. True, Larry is a waif from a cats’ home in Battersea, lending the affair a Dickensian flavour that will appeal to the Conservatives’ mill-owning tendency, but Tories are natural dog owners. They are drawn to a pack animal that can be trained to do exactly what you tell it.
Thinking about it, it might be more accurate to say that dogs are natural Tories.
It would be too tame to call cats Liberals. They are naturally individualists or anarchists – a dog would probably accuse them of being nihilists. But one thing is certain: they are not Conservatives.
So Larry will have to be on his guard, surrounded as he is by people who are not his natural allies, but it sounds as though he can look after himself. “Before coming to Battersea Larry was a stray,” said today’s official Downing Street briefing, “so he’s used to fending for himself in the streets.” It went on to say he has “a very strong predatory drive”. He is clearly cut out for a career in politics.
You can read the piece in full here. And how could you not want to?
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