I did have this discussion with the wife earlier today. She was saying good on the French for protesting. I agreed but said at the same time is there any significant differences between how good people have it in the UK and in France? We were just in France recently and I didn’t see any evidence that protesting so much has resulted over time in France actual being measurably better to live in than the UK with all its infuriating apathy.

Of course there are a million alternatives but the issue is when society doesn’t punish the guilty or even promotes and rewards them. My own experience is of working in the past in a maximum security prison with people who did monstrous things. Today when I see Trump in all his luxury surroundings I often think that not one of those people in prison killed 170 schoolgirls. Or when I see Putin smirk I think not one of those people in prison caused the death of a million or more people… I could hold my nose and work alongside those prisoners as a professional but if I was invited to dinner with Trump or Putin I would be totally remis not to put my knife through their eye…