[TheOtherHobbes]

It's a huge factor in the UK's tradition of multi-million pound fuckups.

There's a definite bias against people, especially clever people, who get stuff done. You're not supposed to do that here - you're supposed to get on by knowing the right people, talking a good game, and being above it all because of your social connections and money.

Actual hands-on development work is for the little people.

Occasionally one needs to say important-sounding things in public and hustle a little. But that's as practical as it gets.

The irony is that the UK has world-class engineering talent, and a long history of real innovation. But the UK is the only country to have had - for example - its own working satellite launch platform, and thrown it away to save money.

We genuinely have some of the worst political and business "leadership" in the developed world.