In the European Parliament today, the tell-tale sign is the presence of a cute cuddly seal toy, sitting on someone's desk, or peeking winsomely out of their bag.

ECONOMIST: European politics

Among the desk decorations, the occasional conventional baby photo seems almost ridiculously un-ironic, amid other personal props like a horde of model dinosaurs riding motorcycles, cuddly toy gremlins with shocking pink fur and knobbly yellow stress balls.

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