The Dumbing Down of Britain

Let’s face it; Britain is not what it was. I am not talking about immigration or national identity – I’ll let our increasingly disingenuous politicians score points on those issues over the next few months.
Duncan BarkesDuncan Barkes
Duncan Barkes

I am talking about how our society behaves and has evolved. Fact is; I am a bit embarrassed to be a Brit sometimes.

Of course I love this country, who wouldn’t? But things have changed and not for the better. Advances when it comes to technology, choice and lifestyles have left Britain in a dumbed down state stewing in its own self-obsession and ignorance.

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For many months my views appeared in print in this newspaper in the form of a weekly column. Hard and fast opinion has always been my stock in trade and these days you can hear them on the radio with a late night talk show that I present. It airs Sunday to Thursday nights from 10pm on LBC – the UK’s only national commercial news/talk radio station. Find it on DAB digital radio as well as online, satellite and via various apps.

LBC asked me to write a book and with our country not being what it was, ‘The Dumbing Down of Britain’ was born. Some say it’s a pretty grumpy book – I tell them there’s a hell of a lot to be grumpy about.

Where does one start? Well, with a general election looming those who choose not to vote are very much in my crosshairs.

I take the view that if you do not vote then you have absolutely no right to complain about the state of the nation. Voter apathy is very much part of a dumbed down Britain. It’s pathetic that many people take more interest in voting in the latest dire reality TV offering than they do in who runs the country.

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Our increasing acceptance of any government to tell us how to live our lives is part of the problem too. People are too dumb to see that day by day bits of our freedom are being taken away – this includes the increasing persecution of smokers and the fact that Britain now has a CCTV camera for every 11 people.

Ignorance when it comes to the food people eat is also part of a new and dumbed down Britain. Obese Brits gorge themselves on naked fat, yet have no idea of the origins of their food. Some complain when a butcher dares to hang a pig carcass in his shop window because children might find it upsetting but the very same kids have no idea where bacon comes from.

The death of the real man, NIMBYs, and how technology has seen the death of verbal communication are all featured in the book. If you are of a similar mind-set to me, you will most definitely enjoy it.

The Dumbing Down of Britain by Duncan Barkes is released on the 12th February. It’s published by Elliott & Thompson and is available from Amazon and all good bookshops.

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