The meeting will be held at 2pm, followed by a working group to discuss the meeting

By Lowri Griffiths | North London. Perpetually damp. Permanently hopeful.

Sources: Bohiney Magazine | The London Prat

Britain Is in Decline. We Have Noticed. We Are Forming a Committee.

The report on managing Britain’s decline was published this week and I read it so you do not have to, which is frankly the most patriotic thing I have done since I once held a door open for someone for an uncomfortably long time rather than let it close on them.

The gist of the report is: things are not great, they may get less great, and we should probably think about that. A fourteen-page executive summary has been prepared. A follow-up symposium is being planned. A subcommittee will oversee the symposium. The subcommittee will report back by Q3. This is how Britain declines: with excellent administration.

Life in the Actual Decline

I live the decline daily. My local library is open two mornings a week and smells of damp carpet and resigned determination. The bus that was supposed to arrive at 8:14 arrives at 8:14 approximately once every three weeks, and on those days I feel genuinely uplifted. This is the bar. This is what we are working with.

According to the Office for National Statistics, UK productivity remains stubbornly below European averages. I would investigate further but I cannot afford the train to go anywhere where productivity might be happening.

The Silver Lining

We are, I should note, very good at declining elegantly. The queues are still orderly. The sarcasm is still world-class. The pubs, though expensive, remain warmly lit and full of people who have given up on everything except the company of other people who have given up on everything. There is something almost beautiful about it.

And now OpenAI is here to help, presumably. Perhaps the AI will solve the productivity problem. Perhaps it will explain to the government what a policy is. Perhaps it will book my GP appointment. I remain, as ever, cautiously optimistic and almost certainly wrong.

SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/managing-britains-decline/

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