Why we ruled the world

Not only had Britain led the scramble for Africa, she had been in the forefront of another scramble in the. Subscription Notification. We have noticed that there is an issue with your subscription billing details.

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Please update your billing details here to continue enjoying your access to the most informative and considered journalism in the UK. OnThisDay The British public were not impressed at the prospect of switching from miles to kilometres.

At least these people really had lived through the war, although they were already mythologising and misremembering. Now Brexit brings out the phoniest nostalgia, laden with grotesquely reimagined Dunkirk spirit. The crescendo of war movies, every great actor vying to give us their Churchill, contrast us with those cheese-eating surrender monkeys across the channel whose sorry arses we saved all by ourselves.

Brexiters are already preparing to blame them over there for impending disaster. But a deeper sentiment from resonates, now as always: stop the world!

Stop pulling down familiar childhood landmarks all around us. Stop changing our neighbourhoods without asking.