Keep it cool @ No 10

'I must remember to appear calm... I must remember to appear calm ... I must remember to appear calm...'  Those were the whispered words I heard Boy David saying to himself as he smiled, in a variety of ways, into the large hall mirror.

Oh Boy! He's at it again, I thought to myself.   Yet another charm offensive on the way.  Who's the lucky recipient, this time?  As I was pondering the question, Arturo padded in through the back garden door.  He almost swaggered over to me, so I guessed he had news that he didn't think I'd know about.

"So, Butch, your Boss is off to try to placate the strikers, is he?"

"Of course," I said. Frankly, I hadn't a clue. But, I'd never admit it.

"Yep, he's off to try to stop the big strike on Thursday."

So, the pair of us padded quietly around to hear him practise his speech.  I couldn't hear it all, he has a tendency to mutter when he's trying to cover up annoyance.  But this is what we did glean:

The taxpayer currently contributes over two-thirds of the costs of maintaining public sector pensions. That's the equivalent of £1,000 a household. That figure is only expected to rise.

Is that a fair? I don't believe it is ...The reason we can't go on as we are is because as the baby-boomers retire – and thankfully live longer – the pension system is in danger of going broke ... in the 1970s, when a civil servant retired at 60, they could expect to claim a pension for around 20 years ... Today, when they retire at 60, they can expect to claim a pension for nearly 30 years

Good luck to them, I thought!   Poor beggars slaving away for a pittance and hoping to get a decent life in their old age.   Not everyone can be born with a silver spoon in their mouth, can they?  Then, I could hear Boy David babbling on, this time he was reaching a crescendo of emotion:

To those considering strike action at a time when discussions are ongoing, I would say to you: these strikes are wrong – for you, for the people you serve, for the good of the country. It's the changes we propose that are right. Right for the long term. Right by the taxpayer. And, most crucially of all, right by you

"Oh Yeah!" Arturo said. "Who's he kidding?"

I had to agree with Arturo - although I'm not exactly a public sector worker - and I certainly won't be getting a pension for any one of my nine lives, I think I'll go on strike on Thursday too.  The Downing Street rats and mice will have a free run all day from both me and Arturo.  Every cat's place is in its union - that's our motto for the day!

'Bye' from Arturo:

And it's 'Every cat to the barricades!' from me: