Humpty Dumpty and the Broken State of Britain: A Nation in Self-Imposed Decline, By Richard Miller (Londonistan)
The nursery rhyme about Humpty Dumpty – that fragile egg who falls from a wall and shatters beyond repair – has never felt more apt for modern Britain. While Humpty's fate was accidental, Britain's woes are entirely self-inflicted. As David Shipley argues in his recent piece for The Critic, the British state isn't collapsing under external forces; it's crumbling because those in power have chosen – or at least tolerated – a system of managed decline. Politicians, bureaucrats, and the political class have built a cage of their own making, then forgotten they hold the key to unlock it.
Shipley paints a grim picture: no new reservoir since 1992 (Carsington Water in Derbyshire), no nuclear power plant online since Sizewell B in 1995, and a high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham (HS2 Phase 1) still years from completion, plagued by delays and cost overruns. GDP per capita has stagnated for nearly two decades, energy costs soar, youth unemployment rises, and borders remain porous. In 2025 alone, 41,472 migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats – the second-highest annual figure on record, yet the government's response includes minor tweaks like allowing Border Force to search for SIM cards.
The British Social Attitudes survey in 2024 revealed a damning verdict: 79% of people believe the governing system could be improved a lot or a great deal. Trust in institutions is at rock bottom, with public services sliding backward since the 2008 financial crisis. Even Prime Minister Keir Starmer has acknowledged the malaise, noting stagnant living standards and eroding faith in politics.
Yet the proposed fixes remain timid. Labour's focus on mutual recognition of qualifications, youth mobility schemes with the EU, and energy price caps won't ignite growth. Previous Conservative priorities – like smoking bans and A-level reforms – were distractions from the core issues. On migration, the "one-in, one-out" deal with France and hotel closures are mere Band-Aids on a gaping wound.
The real culprit, Shipley contends, is "shallow sovereignty": politicians wield formal power but lack functional authority. Constraints from quangos, human rights laws, bureaucratic resistance, and international obligations have been voluntarily imposed – and could be removed with a single Act of Parliament. Yet the political class treats these as immutable facts, like geography or weather. Social conformity among an increasingly narrow elite ensures obedience over bold action.
This paralysis isn't just inefficient; it's existential. Britain rumbles toward collapse, unable to build infrastructure, control borders, or secure prosperity. Humpty Dumpty at least had a great fall – Britain's is a slow, chosen tumble into irrelevance.
Restoring the state requires shattering the self-imposed cage. Parliament must reclaim its sovereignty, prioritise radical reforms, and rediscover the will to act. Until then, the egg remains on the wall – teetering, fragile, and waiting for the inevitable fall.
