I lived in California for a few years, in the San Francisco area. The maority of cats are perfectly content and happy indoor cats. Several friends had cats which never went outside. Two reasons for this:

1. The mild climate means the outside has high densities of ticks and fleas. Let your cat wander and it will come back infested.

2. Racoons are common, even in built up areas, and racoons are partial to a tasty cat. Let your cat wander and there's a good chance it won't come back.

The point being that cats, if brought from kittens, happily live as indoors only pets.

New Zealand has recognised that domestic cats are a menance to native wildlife and now plan to erradicate completely feral cats:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/24/new-zealand-to-eradicate-feral-cats-by-2050

There is also discussion about requiring all pet cats to be microchipped and neutered.

A few years ago, I was in Spain, in one of the Natural Parks looking for Wild Cats, which we did see. I asked a ranger about problems with interbreeding with domestic cats. The rule is that within the Natural Park, any domestic cat seen more than 100 metres from habitation can be shot. Residents know this and make sure their pet cats don't stray.

So, certainly Spain and New Zealand fully recognise what a threat domestic cats are to wildlife. Time the UK acted as well.

I think many of the Labour hierarchy know many traditional, especially older, Labour voters supported leaved the EU and are scared of further frightening those voters away.

Unfortuntely, many of those voters have already moved on to RefUK.

And younger, more progressive voters now see the Greens as a realistic alternative to Labour.

As I presume many in Labour understand, their 174 seat majority in 2024 was supported by just 20% of the electorate. Labour just need to look at Wales to see what their future holds in the UK and England.

For most MPs, turning up in the Commons is a waste of time and very boring. Most don't get to speak and most, most of the time, vote the way their party tells them to vote. Add to that, the antisocial hours. They drink and eat because they are bored witless.

Then there's all the ridiculous ceremony and collapsing building with limited office space, parking, accomodation. Parliament really need to be pushed into the 21st C. A new building in, perhaps, a green field site somewhere in the Derby, Nottingham, Loughborough area. An airport nearby, good road and rail links.

Forget "No Mow May", my front "lawn" is cut once a year.

Around 20 species of native British wild flower, including Broad-leave Hellborine.

One neighbour has told us it is an eyesore …

I think you'll find a lot of pensioners in the UK are struggling and have been for many years:

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-press/articles/3.4-million-pensioners-more-than-one-in-four-are-struggling-financially-and-nearly-half-of-them-have-been-struggling-for-three-years-or-more/

If you rely on just the UK State Pension, it's not easy - perhaps Helen McCarthy should try living on only the State Pension amount for 6 months?

Those of us living a "comfortable retirement" have achieved that by paying in to company and private pensions.

Not surprised although it was a lot worse when there were physical, mechanical keys, especially at hotels which insited you hand the key into reception when you went out. In most cases, they never asked for ID when you came back and you wanted your key - with staff changing shifts, larger hotels, pretty much anybody could get a key to any room.

It is better now keys are digital and you keep it all the time but still not perfect.

When I'm in a hotel, the first thing I do on entering the room is put the chain across. Over the years, that's stopped 2 or 3 people entering my room when I'm in. On 1 occassion, it stopped me entering room where I been given the wrong ket by reception.

I do not believe 700 people are killed each year in the UK in collisions with animals, largely because in 2024 the total number of people killed in all road collisions was just 1,602.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2024/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2024#overall-casualties-and-rates