An essay of Theodore Dalrymple’s begins: “For millions of its inhabitants, Britain is a failing state.” Hard words but true. The essay closes:
If a man can attack and seriously injure a 96-year-old without excuse in front of many eyewitnesses and a CCTV camera, yet receive what amounts to no punishment at all—he was even seen smirking as he left the court—who can blame the public if it concludes that the British state lacks legitimacy?
i think that is it: our Government, our state, lacks legitimacy. It has utterly failed. Does anyone trust Nu Labour, at all? Does anyone trust the police to maintain order?
Over the last 10 years i have felt a discernible erosion in the cultural fabric, at every level. The apparent (relative) civility of life here seems to me a very thin veneer indeed. There is no longer even vestigial faith in the state’s power of maintain order and protect its citizens from its criminals. When Bonehead talks about weaponry or techniques to use on street assailants, it doesn’t seem at all strange to talk as if we already live in some blasted post-apocalpytic landscape where the strong will devour the weak.
In these dark days, a gentleman must swap his cane for an expandable baton, i fear.
