Worthwhile British Initiative

Just a little note.  I recently read A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War, by Amanda Foreman.  It's okay...  I don't know enough Civil War history to judge it, but it seems well-researched.

Anyway it reminded me of one of my recurring themes, which is that the United Kingdom has been blessed by remarkably capable leadership from the Regency through modern times.  (I am not here making the claim that Britain responded appropriately to the Great Famine in Ireland, although I will note that it is said that no Irishman starved while Robert Peel was prime minister.  Call me a Peelite, I won't object.)

Again and again, Britain performed better than any individual would have done.  She stayed neutral during the American Civil War (against the wishes of the otherwise reliable William Gladstone).  With a few exceptions, she kept out of war during the second half of the 19th century.  She let Ireland go with relatively little (British) bloodshed, though of course she is to blame for Ireland's immense suffering.  She conducted the Norway Debate with remarkable candor, and then she prosecuted her fight against the Nazis with remarkable fortitude and aplomb.

It is therefore sad to see the United Kingdom and its traditional values in such dire straits.