Before remonstrating with the youth of today should we acknowledge that a slight walk on the wild side is all part and parcel of growing up?

Once upon a time, Britain was a polite society. Children were brought up to learn good manners, obey their parents, respect their elders and fear their teachers. In the street they behaved with decorum to match their hats and gloves. That’s what we think we remember, isn’t it?

Time was when people queued politely for buses and no one barged in. It was not done to eat in the street, still less to scoff hamburgers and throw the cartons on the pavement. Quietness and restraint were the hallmark of Britishness, with no shouting and yelling and jostling and chewing and boozing and vomiting. What has become of us since then?

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