Makes you wonder where their social scientists are or what fantasies they are feeding themselves about evolving a post-social man. Seems they want the average bloke to feel sufficient commonality to pay his taxes and enlist in the military but not enough to believe there are two sides to the social contract. A new feudalism without the pesky obligations.
I think the case has been sufficiently proven that Rome fell due to privatization and dumbing down, so that when the "barbarians" "arrived," its citizenry saw a better deal and took it.
Margaret Thatcher was being honest (as an advocate of unregenerate capitalism) when she said "there's no such thing as society".
Once upon a time, society existed and then the market economy destroyed it.
All that is solid melted into air, a bit like the ice caps into water.
As Madame X points out, it does leave our rulers with a bit of puzzle when it comes to rallying the people round to whatever war they've decided to unleash upon some hapless tribe of foreigners. Hence, the current anxiety over the British identity.
Funny then that Thatcher would accept a baronetcy, there being no society except, I suppose, for them what's can afford it.
Commenting by HaloScan
