Friday, February the 11th, 2005

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Political Animals

It is always worth keeping an eye on Hansard, the official record of parliamentary debates. Every so often, among all the blather, there is a spot of illumination. Here, for example, is an exchange from yesterday:

Mr. John Randall (Uxbridge) (Con): The Minister claimed that the Labour Government have been good for birds. What are their plans for cormorants?

Mr. Bradshaw: Cormorants are one of the species that have done extremely well in the past twenty years… even if the maximum number of licences were issued, the cormorant population would still be far higher than it was under the Tories.

The idea that enfranchised cormorants and other birds would be natural Labour voters reminds me of a long-ago comment in the house journal of countryside bloodlust, The Field: “If foxes could hear all sides in the debate on hunting, I think they would vote solidly for its continuance.” A similar sentiment was expressed in a letter to the Sussex Express & County Herald: “I am convinced that if a fox could vote, he would vote Conservative.”