Leader: Missionary's parrot needs wing and prayer to get here

Stock markets may be crashing, the national debt climbing and chancellors warning of slow recovery. But Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has found time for a remarkable mission: relieving the plight of an African Grey parrot called Elmo. Dawn Plummer, an African missionary now a constituent in Culloden, wants the parrot here in Scotland. But at present it is detained by the authorities in Nigeria. They say the parrot should never have been sold to her in the first place.

If life's tough for the parrot, consider how it now must be for Mr Alexander who has agreed to take up the case. The solution is not so simple as stuffing Elmo into a diplomatic bag. He has to tread warily in the field of international relations, without ruffling feathers or causing a squawk.

But even if he negotiates the Nigerian bureaucracy, another giant hurdle looms: clearances for Elmo to settle in Britain. Animal rights activists, taking one look at Scotland's weather in recent days, may well argue that while our skies may be leaden, this is no place for an African Grey. Where in Culloden are the bananas and the coconuts to make Elmo feel at home? Oh dear. It may be a simpler task for Mr Alexander to engineer a permanent improvement in Scotland's weather.