It's the official residence of the leader of the entire country. And it's a mess. Last week's report about dead rodents and their droppings in the walls was gross, but it's far from the first tale of how awful things are at 24 Sussex. The residence has been in a state of disrepair, to put it mildly, for a decade or more, and almost nothing has been done to fix it.

The obvious question is: Why not? And the answer to that question will only provoke a much bigger one: What does it say about our politics in this country that we can't find a way to keep a house that is supposed to house the head of our government from becoming an embarrassment? The answer to that one can tell us a lot.

GUEST: David Moscrop, writer and political commentator, author of Too Dumb For Democracy

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca 

Or by calling 416-935-5935 and leaving us a voicemail

Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter