Great Britain

 

We've never been that. O.K. we won the World Cup over 50 years ago and we hosted a very successful Olympics 10 years ago, but we've been on a path of managed decline for yonks.

Our productivity, investment, GDP growth and social cohesion has gone down the pan since the last War we won but didn't.

I am shocked when I see films of the 60's showing bomb sites and housing that at rat wouldn't live in. In the midst of that there was Carnaby Street, the Swinging 60's - not a working class revolution, but a focused, middle class based diversion. Little changed - I went to university - but the relentless decline in our industries continued. As the second half of the 20th century unfolded we lost manufacturing low paid jobs to be replaced by even lower pay service jobs.

From the White Heat of Technology to the Big Bang - interspersed with inflation, recession and industrial unrest this great nation of ours found ourselves at the lower end of any league you'd like to mention.  Since Thatcher's transforming if grossly misguided policies - we've continued to be at a loss. Blair's middle way was nothing more than joining the capitalists - somehow they'd become the friend and partner of the rest of us. They were if you lived in Islington or Notting Hill. The irony cannot be lost on Blair, a bright privileged politician, that a symbol of Labour's success was the middle class invasion of a poor West Indian stronghold.

And since Blair and Thatcher, it's been laisser faire. We have had politicians who frankly don't register - except as quite unbelievably boring and bad. Cameron - remember him - the guy who lost a million or so when his meal ticket went bust. May - possibly not the best role model for women - although she bested the males of the Tory party. And Boris.

The tragedy with him is that he had no idea how to govern. No vision, except a few journalist phrases, no plan of execution. Had he maybe we wouldn't have fixated on his short comings. It's not his fault. He rose to prominence because of the total lack of anyone in UK politics with any idea of what we are - except a few fanatics who see us as the last bastion of white supremacy.

Don't get me on Brexit. It was highjacked by a few politicians who saw it as their meal ticket. They hoodwinked millions of citizens who genuinely thought leaving the EU was a good thing. Boris, Gove and his cohorts got "Brexit Done" yet frankly had no idea what it meant other than turning kilometers into miles. And now Labour say we have to make Brexit work. Such triangulation - what does that mean - other than not offending those in the Red now Blue Wall.

We are a failing state, not because we're crap at most things - although it appears that way. We have a political, civil, financial and industrial elite who don't give a fuck.