Onward, Christian soldiers!
I have to wonder, though, if Britain's old and new imperial escapades have anything to do with the mystery that Doug posed earlier: "The story of British decline is a very interesting one, and I'm curious why this inventiveness bore so little industrial fruit. I know the story of the ascendance of financial over manufacturing interests and the failure of British firms to get big and professionally managed enough, but I was eager to hear more, either solid history or airy speculation."
My speculation is that Britain's enduring compulsion to be a global busybody has taken its toll of mundane matters like the national economy.
Carl
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