The British Experience

I have been re-reading Peter Calvocoressi's "The British Experience 1945-75" (first published 1978), in particular his account of the events leading up to Britain's entry into the EEC.

I was reminded of how much our lives and expectations have changed since then, in his concluding section, 'Notes Towards a Definition of Britain' . His first observation is as follows:

"In Britain a man, or a woman, may go to an apparatus in a wall in a street, insert a card, wait for about half a minute, receive £10 in cash from the apparatus and walk away with it. He may do this in broad daylight or in the dark. This is remarkable".