The jibe, commonly attributed to Napoleon, that England is a nation of shopkeepers, was at least a sort of compliment. Britons embodied, it seemed to suggest, the bourgeois virtues of thrift, industry, self-reliance and pragmatism. But what would a latter-day Napoleon see if he looked at us now? A nation of busybodies, bluenoses and snitches intent not on minding the shop but on minding each-other’s business. That’s the only conclusion to be drawn from the news that Kirstie Allsopp has been reported to social services for allowing her 15-year-old son to travel round Europe with a friend to celebrate the end of his GCSEs.
Allsopp shared her pride in her son’s adventures on Twitter – he having, be it noted, arrived safely home with a spring in his step and a rucksack full of happy memories.
There was a bit of back-and-forth online, as there always is, about whether you or I might do the same thing.
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