I wonder what makes it different than Japan. Japan, also a large island nation with a developed economy, is also socially conservative in most areas—but the people rely on each other to enforce social norms instead of the law. The government is famously hands off, and tends to release statements and public service campaigns about what citizens should do rather than dictating to them what they must do. And the people generally follow the rules!
reply> the people rely on each other to enforce social norms
replyThis is probably the difference.
Here's a video of a leading UK MP (whose party largely represents upper-middle class white-Brits) reacing to someone doing something he doesn't like on public transport:
https://www.facebook.com/libdems/videos/stop-the-headphone-d...
Note the passivate aggression, then the threat to use state force to stop it.
British people are too polite to tell people to stop doing things. We prefer that to be a responsibility of the police.
The thing is, Japanese are also typically very polite! For minor violations of social protocol, you’re most likely to get a polite request or indirect reminder from someone. (It would be rude to make someone lose face, even someone who is violating a norm!) Yet somehow it works.
replyThe UK doesn't have 軍隊式教育 and that is a major factor in why Japanese society works as well as it does.
reply> UK political debate today largely just consists of debates about what to ban next...gambling
replyThe UK is banning gambling? Really?
They might talk about it, but gambling is a huge industry in the US and many different types of gambling are possible and have been for decades/centuries. It is far less restrictive than many other major countries on gambling I would say e.g. US, China, Australia etc.
replyYes. With the exception of state owned lotteries. Eliminating the competition.
replyThe US pays lip service to some major freedoms but I think the reality is far from that. US police crack down violently on protests and have for a long time. Their police are far more violent and vindictive in general. Several states have porn bans. Fireworks are restricted heavily in many places. You can buy a house and end up with a random group of locals controlling what you can and can't do with it. You're looking at it through rose tinted glasses.
replyOn top of that, a lot of the larger restrictions we have are borne out of the USA. The war on drugs. The consequences, and subsequent security restrictions we have, thanks to their 'war on terror'.