Rupert Lowe has his dog shot, don’t forget

Reform UK is a party that exists because the Conservatives weren’t right-wing enough. Restore Britain, meanwhile, is a party that exists because Reform UK weren’t right-wing enough.

The problem for the three parties is that they agree on most issues, so they have to find increasingly niche topics to stand out from one another. This is what led to the following:

To be clear, this isn’t niche because it’s a minority opinion; it’s niche because political parties don’t need to clarify that dogs should not be executed.

Ordinarily, this post would have warranted little more than a shrug. The reason it’s drawn people’s attention is because Restore leader Rupert Lowe once had his dog put down by shotgun.

According to him, however, he did it in a pro-dog fashion.

Rupert Lowe, shotweiller

According to the Standard, Lowe had 17-year-old dog euthanized by shotgun. If you’re worried this makes him sound like a serial killer, don’t worry; he didn’t take the shot himself. Instead, man of the people Lowe had his groundskeeper pull the trigger.

This is what Lowe told the Mail on Sunday:

My keeper shot our dog the other day. He was a Labrador of 17. Dogs do go through ups and downs for a bit, but in the end Cromwell’s back legs went and our keeper Kevin very kindly did the job.

Cromwell didn’t go anywhere, he wasn’t away from home and he wouldn’t have known anything about it. So much kinder. They are not driven to the vet, they don’t smell the vet, it’s just all over very quickly.

Obviously it’s hard to put yourself in Lowe’s shoes, because most of us don’t have grounds or groundskeepers.

And, there are same-day pet euthanization services in the UK. This would have been slower, obviously, but it would have saved Lowe having to tell people he had an employee merc his own pet.

Speaking on having his man make the kill, Lowe said:

I would find it difficult, which is why my keeper did it. So you can call me a coward on that basis, if you want.

I’ve got friends who can shoot their dogs. [They] just take them on a walk, put a shooting rifle at the back of their head and bang, done. They don’t feel anything. I would have found it hard. He was 17 and had been with us that long.

I would be proud to tell you it was me who did it, [but] I can’t claim that credit.

Poverty can’t buy you many things, but it does afford you the luxury of never having to say the above.

Commenters had a field day with all this, anyway:

Niche politics

If you’re wondering why Restore Britain are talking up dogs, it’s because – you guessed it – ‘foreigners’:

Let’s be real; we live in a country that has many problems, so most of us aren’t worried about who does or doesn’t love dogs.

You know who does have time to worry, though?

That’s right – rich people with no problems of their own.

Rich people who are wealthy enough to pay staff to shoot their pets.

Featured image via Parliament