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https://thecritic.co.uk/killing-time/

The Greens were in favour. Their political tradition is the Thanos approach to humanity: there are far too many of us on the planet, and any measure that reduces the number should be supported.

So too were the vast bulk of the Lib Dems. Steve Darling voted Aye, along with his guide dog Jennie, currently the only one in the chamber entitled to a swift death if she’s in pain. Or indeed if she’s become too expensive.

In the distance we saw Rishi Sunak leaving the Aye lobby. That’s not much of a surprise: “Assisted Suicide” would be a pretty good description of the Tory election campaign.

When the result came, it was greeted with one tiny gasp of horror, and then silence. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anything like it in the chamber. No cheering, or shouts of shame, or even murmured approval. Just silence from supporters and opponents alike, as though they were taking in what they had done. They had, in the words of Hillier, crossed a Rubicon.

And then it was time for the next item of business, the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill. Life goes on. Most of the time, anyway.