PRIDE BEFORE A FALL

David Worboys Thinking Aloud

DESPITE the lack of sunshine, I love the country I grew up in. When I was quite young, it was a united country whose people had shown courage, discipline and humour throughout and after the deprivations of the Second World War. ‘Made in England’ suggested quality. We had widely respected institutions such as the Church of England, the BBC, the NHS and the National Gallery. We had a highly regarded monarchy, parliament and judiciary. It was a pleasant country to live in.

Some of those institutions have deteriorated or lost support. But we still have Covent Garden opera, Arsenal, the Financial Times and Oxfam. If there were a capital of the world, it would still be London. Oxford and Cambridge remain among the most prestigious universities. English villages are among the most charming anywhere.

There was ­ and is ­ a lot to be proud of, but pride (or complacency) is one of the major causes of the current demise, as manifested in the complacency of Conservative government ministers who repeatedly express pride in what they and their party have achieved. They promise a world­beating NHS and an education system second to none, which seems about as realistic as a pledge to make Manchester the most glamorous city in Europe.

And I believe it is this arrogance that led to Brexit and all the UK’s economic, political and social woes. When you look at our current predicament, the EU, for all its shortcomings, worked well for our country for 47 years, with free movement of people, goods and services among and within our most important partner­countries. But no! It was not considered good enough for the UK.

Getting back into the club is probably about as likely as Russia being admitted, but I fear we would be too proud even to think about it.

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