The state of British democracy is more serious than it appears at first glance. And not just because of the growth of the far right and of an English nationalism with a marked racist and xenophobic toneFrom a symbolic point of view, the situation is also alarming. There is no democracy without representation. And there is no representation without a stage. And the Palace of Westminster, the seat of Parliament – the House of Commons and Lords – the best theater in London by far, where a million people pass through each year, is falling apart. Literally. And it's infested with mice. So much so that one newspaper, with the usual wit of British tabloids, is talking about it as The Mouse of Commons, that is to say, the House of Mice wave Commons Mousetrap.