The Real Reason Nothing Works in Britain
Key takeaways
- This is the premise of The Land Where Nothing Works, a new book by historian A.G.
- To pick only a few of the facts mentioned in Hopkins’ first chapter: Middle-income families were, in 2023, 20 percent poorer than their German counterparts, and 9 percent poorer than their French ones.
- The Land Where Nothing Works: How Britain Lost the Plot, A.G.
Britain is currently quite broken. This is the premise of The Land Where Nothing Works, a new book by historian A.G. Hopkins. It’s also a widely accepted truth among Brits of all stripes. Once seen as a country punching far above its weight, the United Kingdom has now spent some time—to quote one of its famous authors, Terry Pratchett—sauntering vaguely downward.
To pick only a few of the facts mentioned in Hopkins’ first chapter: Middle-income families were, in 2023, 20 percent poorer than their German counterparts, and 9 percent poorer than their French ones. The figure rose to 27 percent for low-income families, in comparison with both countries. Britain has the highest degree of inequality in Europe. Its productivity growth since 2008 has been half that of the 25 richest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
Britain is currently quite broken. This is the premise of The Land Where Nothing Works, a new book by historian A.G. Hopkins. It’s also a widely accepted truth among Brits of all stripes. Once seen as a country punching far above its weight, the United Kingdom has now spent some time—to quote one of its famous authors, Terry Pratchett—sauntering vaguely downward.