state of the national psyche

[burntcopper]

 I'm trying to decide whether it's faintly depressing or cheering after reading a theory that the reason the British army did better in the Falklands than the Argentinians was that we expect to make do with stuff held together by string and a prayer in so much of our life that we don't even think about panicking when supplies don't turn up and just get on with it.  The soldiers didn't expect the stuff they'd been promised to turn up so had brought their own food and supplies.

 

'new and shiny and plentiful and efficient is very nice, but otherwise we can make do with pretty much anything as long as there's tea.  And we brought our own kettles and tea bags to make sure there would be tea.'

 

Look, shiny and new and on time public services are all very well but they're bloody unnerving.