@adamgreenfield Personally I think this is because GB still has a literal, titled aristocracy and the expensive, exclusive school system to support it.

You do not need to learn and value rigor when your place in life in guaranteed. When you can pull rank target than work hard. That sets the tone for the rest of society. It is only fairly recently that aristocrstic people even had jobs as we understand them, if they weren't the "spare."

What has always fascinated me is that GB kicked off the industrial revolution, inventing steam, mass production and power looms, only to give up within a generation or two, wanting to "live like a gentleman" and not work.

When the pinnacle goal is to not to work or be associated with hard work (ie Margaret Thatcher being inadequate for being the daughter of a grocer) is it surprising that laziness reigns supreme?