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Duck House Should Be Saved For The Nation
10 Jun 2009
So, Sir Peter Viggers’ infamous duck house, which came to symbolise some of the worst excesses of the MPs’ expenses scandal, may be sold for charity. This of course raises the possibility that this much loved icon of parliamentary profligacy could be snatched up by a foreign buyer and lost to Britain altogether.
Surely this is an opportunity for the UK Government to step in and save this item which not only is aesthetically appealing but has been a rich source of humour? Somehow the moat, the manure and the wide-screen TVs did not quite match the impact of the duck house in its comic simplicity. Listeners to the Today programme may recall how the mere mention of this item reduced Evan Davies to uncontrolled laughter.
I know that this duck house is not unique and can be purchased new for just £2,200 plus VAT. That’s not the point. There are many versions of Van Gogh’s sunflowers but some have more artistic and historical value than others.
This does of course raise the question of whether the whole duck house debacle was really just a rouse by the bird pavilion industry to grab the headlines. As well as Sir Peter’s Stockholm floating duck house (or island as it has become known) you can also buy a gothic banqueting house for ducks and a duck castle inspired by the cap badge of the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons. There is also a Queen Anne duck house ‘inspired by many of the buildings one sees in Country Life’.
When the issue was first raised, David Cameron allegedly said “What the b****y hell is a duck island?” No-one says that now. So for the bird pavilion PR folk, it’s job done.
Ian Coldwell
Managing Director
