Political animals – the nature of the beast

Sir, – The complex matter of democratic representation is taken in a new direction by Joe Humphreys, as he considers whether animals should be given political representation (“Some people believe animals should have political representation. But which animals?”, Unthinkable, Opinion & Analysis, October 7th).

His concern over which animals might be preferred is one legitimate topic but their political aims might also give us pause.

I’d imagine anyone representing fish might be more sanguine about rising sea levels, for example. Similarly, the redirection of the Gulf Stream, which could cool large areas of the northern hemisphere dramatically, might be quite acceptable to anyone representing polar bears.

And, as the timing of bumper Christmas social welfare payments is being clarified, stipends which boost the capacity of Irish families to celebrate Yuletide, I wonder if representatives of the turkey population would vote for it? – Yours, etc,