By BAGEHOT
A RESTAURANT critic for the New York City Times notifies us that, on going back to London after a ten-year lack, he was amazed to find that the regional dining establishments have actually moved beyond “porridge and boiled mutton”. Robert Draper has actually been extensively buffooned for this rubbish. What next on his list of fantastic discoveries? That kings can no longer behead individuals at will? That not all Britons reside in castles? That matches of armour have fallen out of favour? Mr Draper is not alone: I’ve discovered a current rise in American-sourced mumbo jumbo about Britain. This rubbish is bipartisan: the left and the right are similarly guilty. And it is driven by the very same mental force: the desire to forecast your own worries onto the hassle-free (English-speaking) canvas that is Britain. The 2 sides task precisely the opposite worries onto Britain: the left argues that it is falling apart due to the fact that it’s turning down globalisation while the ideal concerns that it’s falling apart since it’s too eager on globalisation.
