Larry has the experience of six Prime Ministers in Downing Street while leading the quiet orderly life expected of the chief mouser. 

He has had to see off Palmerstone, a foreign office cat, and control several dogs.  He is happy with American Independence, but does not accept American Dominance.  If Jo Biden sends his reprobate Alsatian for training, Larry would explain how not to bite the Secret Service.

Larry has seen Tory leaders push for privatised investment, watched Labour leaders encourage the unions and working people, while he himself is supported by household staff at number 10 without any government grants.  In short, politics has passed him by, while he is able to lead the busy life of a tabby cat in a troubled world.  At 17 he is nearing the end of a fruitful life - which appeals to me this week!

Cheer up. We are doing quite well in Britain, in contrast to a wider world which is struggling in many ways.  Most European countries have been upset at their situation, and expressed this by voting out the incumbent party, as we did!  So, previously socialist EU countries are now facing the extreme right, while we went the other way.

The COVID pandemic hit everyone, not least the USA whose President at the time suggested drinking disinfectant, quickly contradicted by his medical advisors. 

It was British endeavour which first produced an easily usable vaccine.

The climate here has upset the hospitality industry as we have not had a hot sunny summer.  But many parts of the world have been cooked with record temperatures, flooded with record rainfall, or both in quick succession.  We escaped the effects of Global Warming this year.

Meanwhile, like Larry in number 10, we are doing all right among the many problems that we complain about and hope to get fixed soon. We have food in the shops, the electric and gas supplies are steady, the taps run with fresh water, the toilets flush, there is fuel for vehicles, roads are not washed away, trains are running, social media continues to spread messages.

A pub quiz could set questions as to how many regions of our world suffer from no drinking water, sewage in the streets, intermittent electricity, shortage of food, bad roads or no fuel.  Add the areas with wars that we do know about and the wars that are not even in our news. 

We are doing very well in global terms in East Devon.  Of course there are some very major problems, which is why we gave our present government such huge majority so they can fix them, and of course they will, won't they?  Just as Larry will show the new Starmer Siberian kitten how to catch mice, once lawyers have resolved problems on importing from Russian Siberia.

Our wellbeing depends on all sorts of volunteers and support groups, especially those individuals who go the extra mile to help others, just as Larry relies on the backroom and kitchen staff at No 10 much more than the bigwigs out front!

Working together to help others is what makes us who we are…isn't it?