>The cult of the amateur first of all built Britain’s empire, and then managed, by its casualness and determination to avoid confrontation and unpleasantness, t

>The cult of the amateur first of all built Britain’s empire, and then managed, by its casualness and determination to avoid confrontation and unpleasantness, to lose it. Well, that would be one way of putting it. If one is a fan of utter bullshit. For a less varnished take than this article on the attitudes and motivations of Britain's supposed gentlemen of that era, it is a very good idea to read Lawrence's 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom'. It pulls very few punches.