The thinking, non-dancing parrot

Maynard is angry. Very, very angry. And, I suspect, Maynard is more than just a little bit jealous.

Maynard, as you may remember, is my pet parrot and an expert economist. He is named after Britain's most famous human economist John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946). When asked about an economic problem, Maynard answers "supply and demand". Usually, this is the right answer.

So why is Maynard so upset? He won't say. But I know Maynard well after all the years we've spent together. The problem is another parrot, by the name of Snowball.

Snowball, for those of you who have been holidaying on Jupiter for the past month, is a cockatoo that has been enjoying a brief moment of fame because he seems to dance to pop music.

Incredibly, Snowball has his own Wikipedia entry and various videos on YouTube, which have had millions of hits. The Economist even wrote an article about him two weeks ago.

All very impressive and all good fun. It's just that Maynard doesn't see the funny side of it.

Maynard's view is that Snowball is giving parrots a bad name by making such a song and dance about his talents. It gives the impression that all parrots can do is squawk and flap their legs and wings about.

This is not Maynard's style at all. He is a serious parrot and prefers to do what serious people and animals do: think.

I promised Maynard that I would help him in his campaign to show that parrots are intelligent, thoughtful creatures. So I'm uploading here a video of Maynard thinking — in this case about the possible solutions to the current economic crisis.

Maynard doesn't dance. Nor does he sing. He does occasionally blink or coo while he's thinking. But that's about all.

This may not look as exciting as the all-singing, all-dancing Snowball. But it's much more serious — and equally fascinating, I'd say. Maynard, over to you: