LONDON — Patrick has only been mayor of Cockington, a small English village, for less than two weeks. But he’s already had his office taken away.
That is, his small pen filled with hay. Because Patrick is a pony.
Patrick, a 4-year-old Shetland pony with well-combed bangs, had been meeting with constituents at an “interaction pen” in the garden of a pub, which he regularly frequents for a few slurps of Guinness. But that has been dismantled, after a single complaint lodged to local authorities.
The dispute is ostensibly about building permissions — but supporters are convinced that it was designed to take him down. Possibly by a human who wants to be mayor.
“It was a one-horse race for him to be mayor, but apparently someone was jealous,” said Kirk Petrakis, who, along with his wife, Hannah, owns the mayor of the town in Devon, England.
Patrick’s pen, constructed almost a year ago by volunteers at an agricultural organization, was outside the Drum Inn pub in Devon. Locals — especially those who had anxiety, disabilities and terminal illnesses — knew they could always find him there, Petrakis told The Washington Post.
But since he became the mayor — at an official ceremony on July 23, in which Patrick donned a traditional British mayoral red gown complete with a white trim — there was a complaint to local authorities from an unnamed person.
Petrakis says they don’t know who is behind the complaint, but “we have our suspicions.” Patrick currently resides at a “luxury stable,” his owners said, but they did not want to share his exact location because of safety fears.
A Torbay Council spokesperson confirmed it had received a complaint from a member of the public and said that it had “not received or approved any planning applications for the fencing or the change of use for horses” and that it encouraged Patrick’s supporters to seek adequate permission to erect a space for him to meet with locals.
The council said it had opened an “enforcement case” into the erection of “unauthorised timber fencing and the display of advertisements within the beer garden,” which is in a designated conservation area and next to a historic building.
Why the long face? Now we know.
Lets be honest it would do a better job than any conservative.
Not surprised. It’s England after all
It’s this sort of thing that makes me love the British.
Some people may understandably bridle at this news, but it is in fact totally fitting.
While the UK has been a stable democracy, its government has been known to take voters for a ride.
Personally I would like to see Patrick or one of his kind ascend all the way to PM.
The UK has had plenty of leaders with crowns, but one with a *triple crown* would be truly special.
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LONDON — Patrick has only been mayor of Cockington, a small English village, for less than two weeks. But he’s already had his office taken away.
That is, his small pen filled with hay. Because Patrick is a pony.
Patrick, a 4-year-old Shetland pony with well-combed bangs, had been meeting with constituents at an “interaction pen” in the garden of a pub, which he regularly frequents for a few slurps of Guinness. But that has been dismantled, after a single complaint lodged to local authorities.
The dispute is ostensibly about building permissions — but supporters are convinced that it was designed to take him down. Possibly by a human who wants to be mayor.
“It was a one-horse race for him to be mayor, but apparently someone was jealous,” said Kirk Petrakis, who, along with his wife, Hannah, owns the mayor of the town in Devon, England.
Patrick’s pen, constructed almost a year ago by volunteers at an agricultural organization, was outside the Drum Inn pub in Devon. Locals — especially those who had anxiety, disabilities and terminal illnesses — knew they could always find him there, Petrakis told The Washington Post.
But since he became the mayor — at an official ceremony on July 23, in which Patrick donned a traditional British mayoral red gown complete with a white trim — there was a complaint to local authorities from an unnamed person.
Petrakis says they don’t know who is behind the complaint, but “we have our suspicions.” Patrick currently resides at a “luxury stable,” his owners said, but they did not want to share his exact location because of safety fears.
A Torbay Council spokesperson confirmed it had received a complaint from a member of the public and said that it had “not received or approved any planning applications for the fencing or the change of use for horses” and that it encouraged Patrick’s supporters to seek adequate permission to erect a space for him to meet with locals.
The council said it had opened an “enforcement case” into the erection of “unauthorised timber fencing and the display of advertisements within the beer garden,” which is in a designated conservation area and next to a historic building.
Why the long face? Now we know.
Lets be honest it would do a better job than any conservative.
Not surprised. It’s England after all
It’s this sort of thing that makes me love the British.
Some people may understandably bridle at this news, but it is in fact totally fitting.
While the UK has been a stable democracy, its government has been known to take voters for a ride.
Personally I would like to see Patrick or one of his kind ascend all the way to PM.
The UK has had plenty of leaders with crowns, but one with a *triple crown* would be truly special.