Britain is boiling, and it's not because summer has arrived. There's no escaping it: as a nation, we're getting angrier. Rage is all the rage. Rancour is one of our few remaining growth industries; it's about the only thing this country produces. If you have a laptop handy, go to a news website now. A broadsheet site, a tabloid site, Sky News – anywhere that lets readers post comments beneath the stories. You'll be whooshed away on a cascade of bile. Everyone, or so it seems, is livid, and they're keen to let everyone else know.
It's hardly surprising after this week's Budget. During its time in power this Government has done innumerable things that have angered sizeable sections of society: the wars in the Middle East, the ban on foxhunting, its indefatigable efforts to kill off rural villages. But with this Budget the Government excelled itself: it finally succeeded in doing something to anger everybody.
Read Full Article »